2000
#30,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Kyer
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "cuir" meaning leather.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 914 Americans carry the last name Kyer. That puts it at #31,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 375,005 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kyer 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
914
1 in 375,005
Census rank
#31,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
797
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 797 bearers of the surname Kyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kyer
The surname KYER has its origins in England, tracing back to the early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cyre," which means "a turn or bend," often referring to a winding path or river. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term used to identify someone who lived near a curving road or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KYER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, where a person named William Kyer is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use during the medieval period in the county of Gloucestershire, located in the southwest of England.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Kyere, Kiere, and Kyare, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time. A notable individual from this era was John Kyer, born in 1342 in the village of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, who served as a tax collector for the Crown.
The KYER surname is also associated with several place names in England, particularly in the counties of Somerset and Dorset. For instance, the village of Kyer Weston in Somerset is believed to have been named after an early settler with the surname KYER.
One of the most renowned individuals with the KYER surname was Sir William Kyer (1620-1692), a successful merchant and landowner from Dorset. He was knighted by King Charles II in 1665 for his contributions to the local community and his support for the Crown during the English Civil War.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Kyer (1738-1812), a writer and educator from Oxfordshire. She authored several books on education and moral philosophy, which were widely read and influential during the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the KYER surname gained prominence with the birth of Charles Kyer (1824-1897), a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum.
Other individuals of note include Henry Kyer (1865-1944), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to Africa and South America, and Emily Kyer (1892-1976), a pioneering chemist who made significant contributions to the development of synthetic polymers.
Throughout its history, the surname KYER has been represented across various professions and social classes, from landowners and merchants to writers, architects, and scientists. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval England, its legacy continues to be carried forward by individuals bearing this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kyer 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 Kyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 651
- Black or African American11.8% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 28
- Two or more races2.0% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kyer
Kyer 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
#30,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 764
+54 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 391 places
2020
#31,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 797
+33 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 637 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,929 | 710 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,538 | 764 | 0.26 | +54 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 391 places |
| 2020 | #31,175 | 797 | 0.27 | +33 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 637 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 Kyer 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 | #30,538 | #31,175 | -2.1% |
| Count | 764 | 797 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.27 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kyer bearers went from 764 to 797 (+4.3% change). The surname moved down 637 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,538 to #31,175.
FAQ
Kyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kyer?
Name Census estimates that about 914 living Americans carry the surname Kyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 375,005 residents.
How common is Kyer?
Kyer ranks #31,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 797 people with the surname Kyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (914), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Kyer.
Has Kyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kyer went from 764 recorded bearers to 797. That is an increase of 33 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,538 to #31,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Kyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (11.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kyer (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 Kyer mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "cuir" meaning leather. 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 Kyer (0.27 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 are called Kyer?
See how many people have the surname Kyer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.