2000
#14,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,884
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Mahr
A German surname derived from the Arabic term "emeer" referring to a leader or prince.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,030 Americans carry the last name Mahr. That puts it at #15,844 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahr 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
2.0K
1 in 168,845
Census rank
#15,844
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,770 bearers of the surname Mahr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15844th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahr
The surname Mahr has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "mar," meaning "famous" or "renowned." This suggests that the name was originally given to individuals who had achieved a certain level of renown or fame within their communities.
In the region of Saxony-Anhalt, which was formerly part of East Germany, there are records of the Mahr surname appearing in church registers and official documents from as early as the 1500s. The name was particularly prevalent in the town of Eisleben, which was also the birthplace of the famous reformer Martin Luther.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mahr surname can be found in the Sachsenspiegel, a medieval legal code from the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Heinrich Mahr" who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Mahr family produced several notable figures. Johann Mahr (1637-1701) was a respected theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Saalfeld. His son, Johann Friedrich Mahr (1673-1732), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent scholar and educator.
In the realm of art, the painter Johann Gottfried Mahr (1745-1826) gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in various museums across Germany and Austria.
Another notable figure was the military officer and statesman Friedrich Mahr (1800-1875), who played a significant role in the unification of Germany under Otto von Bismarck. He served as a general in the Prussian army and later became the governor of the province of Pomerania.
One of the more recent individuals of note with the Mahr surname was the German actor and director Peter Mahr (1909-1982), who was active in both film and theater during the mid-20th century.
While the Mahr surname is most closely associated with Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahr
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahr 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 Mahr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 1,548
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 66
- Two or more races3.7% · 65
- Black or African American2.9% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahr
Mahr 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
#15,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,831
-53 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,380 places
2020
#15,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
-61 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,503 | 1,884 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,883 | 1,831 | 0.62 | -53 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,380 places |
| 2020 | #15,844 | 1,770 | 0.59 | -61 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 39 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 Mahr 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 | #15,883 | #15,844 | 0.2% |
| Count | 1,831 | 1,770 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.59 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahr bearers went from 1,831 to 1,770 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,883 to #15,844.
FAQ
Mahr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahr?
Name Census estimates that about 2,030 living Americans carry the surname Mahr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,845 residents.
How common is Mahr?
Mahr ranks #15,844 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,770 people with the surname Mahr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Mahr.
Has Mahr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahr went from 1,831 recorded bearers to 1,770. That is a decrease of 61 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,883 to #15,844.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mahr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,548 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mahr (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 Mahr mean?
A German surname derived from the Arabic term "emeer" referring to a leader or prince. 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 Mahr (0.59 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 share the surname Mahr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.