2000
#8,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Geier
A German occupational surname referring to a person who trained or hunted with vultures or hawks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,336 Americans carry the last name Geier. That puts it at #8,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geier surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,049
Census rank
#8,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,781 bearers of the surname Geier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geier
Among Census respondents with the surname Geier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Geier bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Geier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 3,566
- Two or more races2.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- Black or African American0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geier
Geier appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,864
+50 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 496 places
2020
#8,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,781
-83 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,022 | 3,814 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,518 | 3,864 | 1.31 | +50 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 496 places |
| 2020 | #8,387 | 3,781 | 1.26 | -83 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 131 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Geier surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,518 | #8,387 | 1.5% |
| Count | 3,864 | 3,781 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.26 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geier bearers went from 3,864 to 3,781 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,518 to #8,387.
FAQ
Geier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geier?
Name Census estimates that about 4,336 living Americans carry the surname Geier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,049 residents.
How common is Geier?
Geier ranks #8,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,781 people with the surname Geier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,336), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Geier.
Has Geier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geier went from 3,864 recorded bearers to 3,781. That is a decrease of 83 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,518 to #8,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Geier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Geier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (3,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Geier (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Geier mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who trained or hunted with vultures or hawks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Geier (1.26 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Geier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.