Find out how popular the last name Mahler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mahler.

Mahler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mahler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mahler in America

Mahler is the 6498th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mahler surname appeared 5,222 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Mahler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mahler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mahler

The surname Mahler originated in Germany and Austria, emerging in the late Middle Ages around the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Mahler," which means "painter" or "artist," referring to someone who practiced this profession. The name could also be related to the word "malen," meaning "to paint" or "to draw."

In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various historical documents, such as tax records, guild registries, and municipal chronicles. One of the earliest known references is found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hanns Mahler was documented as a master painter in the year 1439.

The Mahler surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most renowned figures bearing this name is Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), the celebrated Austrian composer, and conductor who made significant contributions to late-Romantic and early-modernist music.

Another notable Mahler was Horst Mahler (born 1936), a German lawyer and former radical left-wing activist who later embraced far-right and neo-Nazi ideologies, a controversial figure in German politics.

In the realm of literature, the name Mahler is associated with Jonathan Mahler (born 1980), an American journalist and author known for his works on popular culture and media.

The Mahler surname has also been connected to various place names and their older spellings. For instance, the town of Mahlersdorf in Bavaria, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from the Mahler family who may have resided there or owned property in the area.

Furthermore, the name Mahler has been documented in historical records such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony, where individuals with this surname were mentioned as early as the 15th century.

Throughout history, the Mahler surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, writers, lawyers, and political figures, reflecting the diversity of backgrounds and professions associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mahler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mahler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mahler was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mahler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mahler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mahler, please contact us.

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