2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Maer
A surname potentially derived from a Dutch or German place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Maer. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maer 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Maer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maer
The surname MAER is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era, around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old German word "mer," meaning "sea" or "lake." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived in coastal or lakeside regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MAER surname can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, Germany, where a certain "Heinrich Maer" was mentioned in a document dated 1297. This document pertained to a land transaction, indicating that the Maers were likely landowners or individuals of some standing within the community.
In the 15th century, the MAER surname appeared in various manuscripts and records across different regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is Johannes Maer, a scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg around 1420, who authored several treatises on religious matters.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Mayer," "Mair," and "Mayr." One prominent individual bearing this name was Simon Mair (c. 1475-1546), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.
In the 16th century, the MAER surname made its way to the Netherlands, where it was sometimes written as "Maer" or "Maere." One notable figure from this era was Pieter Maer (1544-1615), a Dutch Renaissance painter known for his religious and allegorical works.
Another individual of note was Johann Maer (1597-1671), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in Nuremberg and served as a professor at the University of Altdorf.
As the name continued to spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions, including England and Scotland. While less common in these areas, there are records of individuals bearing the MAER surname, such as William Maer, a Scottish merchant who lived in Edinburgh in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, the MAER surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, merchants, and landowners. While its origins may be rooted in geographic descriptors, the name has evolved to represent a diverse range of individuals and their accomplishments across different parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maer
Among Census respondents with the surname Maer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maer 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 Maer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.9% · 12
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maer
Maer 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-23 bearers (-18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 31,595 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+7 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-18.3%) | Down 31,595 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.8%) | Up 7,788 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 Maer 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 | #157,234 | #149,446 | 5.0% |
| Count | 103 | 110 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maer bearers went from 103 to 110 (+6.8% change). The surname moved up 7,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #149,446.
FAQ
Maer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maer?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Maer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Maer?
Maer ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Maer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Maer.
Has Maer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maer went from 103 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 7 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Maer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maer, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Maer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Maer (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 Maer mean?
A surname potentially derived from a Dutch or German place name. 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 Maer (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 people are called Maer?
See how many Americans have the surname Maer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.