2000
#13,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,085
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Magyar
An ethnic surname referring to a person of Hungarian descent or origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,425 Americans carry the last name Magyar. That puts it at #13,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magyar 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 Magyar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,342
Census rank
#13,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,115 bearers of the surname Magyar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magyar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Magyar
The surname Magyar is of Hungarian origin and is derived from the name of the Magyar ethnic group, which settled in the Carpathian Basin in the late 9th century. The Magyar people were known as the "Hungarians" and their language became the Hungarian language.
The name Magyar is believed to have originated from the Old Bulgarian word "madʒar," which means "wanderer" or "migrant." This reflects the nomadic history of the Magyar people, who migrated from the Eurasian Steppe region to Central Europe.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Magyar can be found in the Byzantine historian Konstantinos Porphyrogennetos' work "De Administrando Imperio," written around 950 AD. He mentions the "Megyer" people, which is believed to be the same as the Magyar.
In the 11th century, the name Magyar appeared in various Latin chronicles and documents, such as the "Gesta Hungarorum" (Deeds of the Hungarians) written by an anonymous author around 1200 AD.
Notable historical figures with the surname Magyar include:
1. János Magyar (1589-1616), a Hungarian Calvinist pastor and writer who translated the complete Bible into Hungarian.
2. Sándor Magyar (1837-1891), a Hungarian novelist and playwright, known for his works depicting rural life in Hungary.
3. Dezső Magyar (1879-1938), a Hungarian architect who designed several notable buildings in Budapest, including the Vigadó Concert Hall.
4. Zoltán Magyar (1858-1904), a Hungarian painter and illustrator, known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life.
5. Lajos Magyar (1891-1976), a Hungarian-American inventor and engineer, best known for developing the first functional computer memory system using magnetic recording technology.
The name Magyar is still commonly found in Hungary and among the Hungarian diaspora worldwide. It reflects the rich cultural heritage and history of the Magyar people, who played a significant role in shaping the region and contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magyar
Among Census respondents with the surname Magyar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Magyar 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 Magyar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,954
- Two or more races3.4% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 58
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magyar
Magyar 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
#14,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
+13 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 878 places
2020
#13,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
+17 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,396 | 2,085 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,274 | 2,098 | 0.71 | +13 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 878 places |
| 2020 | #13,717 | 2,115 | 0.71 | +17 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 557 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 Magyar 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 | #14,274 | #13,717 | 3.9% |
| Count | 2,098 | 2,115 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.71 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magyar bearers went from 2,098 to 2,115 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 557 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,274 to #13,717.
FAQ
Magyar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magyar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,425 living Americans carry the surname Magyar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,342 residents.
How common is Magyar?
Magyar ranks #13,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,115 people with the surname Magyar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Magyar.
Has Magyar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magyar went from 2,098 recorded bearers to 2,115. That is an increase of 17 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,274 to #13,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Magyar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magyar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Magyar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magyar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Magyar (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 Magyar mean?
An ethnic surname referring to a person of Hungarian descent or origin. 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 Magyar (0.71 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 have the last name Magyar?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Magyar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.