2000
#4,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,838
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.91
Rare Last name
Geyer
A German occupational surname referring to a vulture catcher or keeper of hunting birds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,854 Americans carry the last name Geyer. That puts it at #4,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geyer 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
8.9K
1 in 38,712
Census rank
#4,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,721 bearers of the surname Geyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geyer
The surname GEYER is of German origin and dates back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "geier," meaning "vulture." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who worked with vultures or lived in an area where these birds were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GEYER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Rhineland region of Germany. In a document dated 1287, a man named Conradus Geyer is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the town of Boppard.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the GEYER name appeared in various records across different parts of Germany, indicating that it had spread throughout the region. For instance, in 1436, a Henricus Geyer is recorded as a citizen of Nuremberg, a prominent city in southern Germany.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Geyer (c. 1455-1510), a German humanist and scholar who served as a teacher and rector at the University of Leipzig. He was known for his contributions to the study of Greek and Latin literature.
Another significant individual was Florian Geyer (c. 1490-1525), a German knight and leader of the peasant revolt known as the German Peasants' War. He played a key role in organizing and leading the uprising against the nobles and territorial princes in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the GEYER name appeared in various locations across Europe, suggesting that individuals with this surname had migrated from Germany. For example, in 1628, a man named Hans Geyer is recorded as residing in the town of Herrnhut, located in what is now modern-day Saxony, Germany.
Other notable individuals with the GEYER surname include Johann Daniel Geyer (1660-1737), a German composer and organist who served in the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and Christian Gottlieb Geyer (1709-1785), a German architect and builder known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the city of Leipzig.
Throughout its history, the GEYER surname has also been associated with various place names and locations across Germany. For instance, there is a town called Geyerswörth in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which may have derived its name from individuals with the GEYER surname who lived there.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Geyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Geyer 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 Geyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 7,072
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 239
- Two or more races3.1% · 238
- Black or African American1.0% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geyer
Geyer 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
#4,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,962
+124 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#4,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,721
-241 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,194 | 7,838 | 2.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,456 | 7,962 | 2.70 | +124 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #4,454 | 7,721 | 2.58 | -241 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 2 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 Geyer 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 | #4,456 | #4,454 | 0.0% |
| Count | 7,962 | 7,721 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 2.58 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geyer bearers went from 7,962 to 7,721 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,456 to #4,454.
FAQ
Geyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geyer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,854 living Americans carry the surname Geyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,712 residents.
How common is Geyer?
Geyer ranks #4,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,721 people with the surname Geyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Geyer.
Has Geyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geyer went from 7,962 recorded bearers to 7,721. That is a decrease of 241 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,456 to #4,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Geyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Geyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (7,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Geyer (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 Geyer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a vulture catcher or keeper of hunting birds. 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 Geyer (2.58 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 Geyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.