2000
#6,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Guyer
A occupational surname for a guide or leader, derived from the Middle English term "gyer" meaning "guide."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,441 Americans carry the last name Guyer. That puts it at #6,822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,995 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guyer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Guyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 62,995
Census rank
#6,822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,745 bearers of the surname Guyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guyer
The surname "GUYER" is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "gier," which means "greed" or "desire." This suggests that the surname may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was perceived as greedy or overly ambitious.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the church records of the town of Worms, Germany, where a certain Hans Guyer was mentioned in 1567. Another early reference is found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Johannes Guyer was documented in 1589.
During the 17th century, the name began to spread to other regions of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. In the Swiss canton of Bern, for instance, there are records of a family named Guyer residing in the village of Münsingen as early as 1621.
As the name spread, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Guier, Guyer, and Guyher. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable individual with the surname "GUYER" was Johann Guyer (1592-1658), a Swiss Protestant theologian and professor at the University of Basel. Another was Samuel Guyer (1748-1828), a Swiss-born American Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Saratoga.
In the 19th century, the name began to appear in the United States as a result of German and Swiss immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances in America was that of Johannes Guyer (1813-1888), who was born in Switzerland and later settled in Ohio.
Other notable individuals with the surname "GUYER" include:
1. Michael Guyer (1699-1764), a Swiss pastor and theologian.
2. Bernhard Guyer (1820-1887), a Swiss politician and lawyer.
3. Jacob Guyer (1819-1908), an American farmer and pioneer in Wisconsin.
4. Ida Guyer (1888-1958), an American artist and educator.
5. Melchior Guyer (1486-1549), a Swiss theologian and reformer.
While the surname "GUYER" may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a well-established family name with a rich history spanning multiple countries and centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Guyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Guyer 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 Guyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 4,374
- Two or more races3.3% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guyer
Guyer 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
#6,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,974
-62 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 534 places
2020
#6,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,745
-229 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,247 | 5,036 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,781 | 4,974 | 1.69 | -62 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 534 places |
| 2020 | #6,822 | 4,745 | 1.59 | -229 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 41 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 Guyer 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 | #6,781 | #6,822 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,974 | 4,745 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.59 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guyer bearers went from 4,974 to 4,745 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,781 to #6,822.
FAQ
Guyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guyer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,441 living Americans carry the surname Guyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,995 residents.
How common is Guyer?
Guyer ranks #6,822 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,745 people with the surname Guyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,441), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Guyer.
Has Guyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guyer went from 4,974 recorded bearers to 4,745. That is a decrease of 229 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,781 to #6,822.
What does the Census say about the background of Guyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Guyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (4,374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Guyer (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 Guyer mean?
A occupational surname for a guide or leader, derived from the Middle English term "gyer" meaning "guide." 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 Guyer (1.59 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 Guyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.