2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mahner
An occupational surname of German origin referring to someone who operated a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Mahner. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahner 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Mahner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahner
The surname Mahner is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "mahnen," which means "to remind" or "to admonish." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a debt collector or a tax collector.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mahner can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a Hans Mahner was mentioned in a document dated 1452. The name also appears in various other historical records from the region, including church registers and municipal archives.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Mahner was Johannes Mahner, a Lutheran theologian and scholar born in Saxony in 1524. He was known for his writings on theological and philosophical subjects and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another notable person with the Mahner surname was Friedrich Mahner, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1715 in Nuremberg, he was renowned for his intricate copperplate engravings and his work as a court painter in the service of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.
In the 19th century, Karl Mahner, a German military officer and author, gained recognition for his writings on military tactics and strategy. He was born in 1835 in Bavaria and served in the Prussian army during the Franco-Prussian War.
Moving into the 20th century, Theodor Mahner was a German politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the Weimar Republic. Born in 1878 in Württemberg, he served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) and was known for his advocacy of democratic principles and civil rights.
While the surname Mahner has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration. However, its origins and historical significance can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it first emerged as a distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahner
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahner 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 Mahner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahner
Mahner appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,860 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4,860 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 Mahner 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 | #136,449 | #141,309 | -3.6% |
| Count | 123 | 121 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahner bearers went from 123 to 121 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4,860 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #141,309.
FAQ
Mahner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahner?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Mahner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Mahner?
Mahner ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Mahner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Mahner.
Has Mahner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahner went from 123 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Mahner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Mahner (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 Mahner mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to someone who operated a mill. 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 Mahner (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 have the last name Mahner?
See how many people are called Mahner on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.