2000
#101,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Giers
A surname derived from the German/Dutch word for "pourer" or "tapper", likely referring to an occupation involving pouring liquids.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Giers. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giers 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Giers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giers
The surname GIERS is of German origin, traced back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "gir," meaning "greedy" or "avaricious." The name may have initially referred to a person with a voracious appetite or an insatiable desire for wealth or possessions.
The earliest known records of the GIERS surname can be found in the historic regions of Bavaria and Saxony in present-day Germany. Some variations in spelling, such as Gier, Giere, and Giers, were common in those times due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name GIERS appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1250. The entry mentions a landowner named Johannes Giers who held properties in the region.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the GIERS surname was Heinrich Giers, a wealthy merchant and financier from the city of Nuremberg. He played a significant role in establishing trade routes and banking practices in the Holy Roman Empire during his lifetime, which spanned from 1320 to 1392.
Another prominent individual with the GIERS surname was Philipp Giers, a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, who lived between 1518 and 1589. He was a vocal critic of the Catholic Church and a close associate of Martin Luther, contributing to the spread of Protestantism in the region.
During the 16th century, the GIERS family had a presence in the city of Augsburg, where they were involved in the textile trade. One member, Hans Giers (1542-1612), was a respected merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of a hospital and a school in the city.
In the 18th century, a notable military figure named Johann Friedrich Giers (1725-1792) served as a general in the Prussian Army during the reign of Frederick the Great. He participated in several campaigns during the Seven Years' War and was recognized for his strategic leadership and bravery on the battlefield.
While the GIERS surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giers
Among Census respondents with the surname Giers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Giers 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 Giers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giers
Giers 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-34 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,668 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-19 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,157 | 165 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -34 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 28,668 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 18,129 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 Giers 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 | #129,825 | #147,954 | -14.0% |
| Count | 131 | 112 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giers bearers went from 131 to 112 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 18,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #147,954.
FAQ
Giers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giers?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Giers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Giers?
Giers ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Giers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Giers.
Has Giers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giers went from 131 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Giers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Giers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Giers (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 Giers mean?
A surname derived from the German/Dutch word for "pourer" or "tapper", likely referring to an occupation involving pouring liquids. 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 Giers (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Giers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.