Find out how popular the last name Geier is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Geier.

Geier, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Geier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Geier in America

Geier is the 8518th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Geier surname appeared 3,864 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Geier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Geier to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Geier

The surname GEIER originated in Germany and Austria in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Geier," which means "vulture." The name likely referred to someone who resembled a vulture or lived near a place where vultures nested.

The earliest recorded instances of the GEIER surname date back to the 13th century in medieval German records. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Konrad Geier, a merchant from Nuremberg mentioned in a document from 1287.

In the 14th century, the GEIER name appeared in various forms such as Geyer, Geyger, and Geyerl in different regions of Germany and Austria. These variations reflect the local dialects and spelling conventions of the time.

During the Renaissance period, the GEIER surname was associated with several notable figures. Johannes Geier (1532-1586) was a German theologian and Protestant reformer from Saxony. Another bearer of the name was Matthäus Geier (1629-1687), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher from Leipzig.

In the 18th century, Johann Daniel Geier (1660-1723) was a German Protestant theologian and biblical scholar from Saxony. He wrote numerous commentaries on the Bible and was known for his expertise in Hebrew and Oriental languages.

One of the most famous individuals with the GEIER surname was Rudolf Geiger (1834-1888), a German linguist and philologist. He made significant contributions to the study of Indo-European languages and published works on the history and development of the German language.

Other notable bearers of the GEIER surname include:

1. Friedrich Geier (1807-1876), a German architect and urban planner from Berlin.
2. Theodor Geier (1861-1935), an Austrian chemist and professor at the University of Innsbruck.
3. Willi Geiger (1879-1971), a German painter and graphic artist associated with the Expressionist movement.
4. Ernst Geier (1891-1965), a German architect and urban planner known for his work in Berlin.
5. Gerd Geier (1935-2019), a German philosopher and writer who specialized in the philosophy of culture and aesthetics.

While the GEIER surname is most prevalent in Germany and Austria, it has also been found in other European countries and regions with German-speaking populations, reflecting the migration patterns of its bearers throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Geier

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Geier.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Geier was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Geier has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Geier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Geier, please contact us.

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