2000
#2,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.16
Uncommon Last name
Maier
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or administrator of a farm or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,457 Americans carry the last name Maier. That puts it at #2,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maier 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 Maier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,175
Census rank
#2,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,479 bearers of the surname Maier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maier
The surname Maier originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Meier," which referred to a bailiff or farm manager who oversaw agricultural workers on a feudal estate. The name is closely related to the English word "mayor," which stems from the same Latin root, "maior," meaning "larger" or "greater."
The earliest known records of the Maier surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was often spelled as "Meier," "Meyer," or "Mayer" in historical documents from this era.
One notable early reference to the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," a collection of historical records from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Henricus Meier" in the year 1284.
During the Middle Ages, the Maier surname was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or management in rural areas, reflecting the occupation of a bailiff or farm overseer. As the name became more widespread, it was adopted by families across various social classes.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Maier surname. One example is Johann Friedrich Maier (1708-1766), a German composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of early Classical music.
Another prominent figure was Konrad Maier (1828-1888), a German entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Maier-Werke, a successful machinery manufacturing company in Württemberg.
In the realm of science, Ernst Maier (1838-1915) was a renowned German physicist and mathematician who made important contributions to the study of electromagnetism and thermodynamics.
The name Maier also has a strong literary presence, with figures such as Hans Maier (1867-1933), a German poet and novelist known for his works depicting rural life in Bavaria.
Lastly, a notable contemporary bearer of the Maier surname is Norbert Maier (born 1952), a German politician and former government minister who served as the Minister of Justice for the state of Baden-Württemberg.
These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the Maier surname throughout German history, spanning various professions and regions, and highlighting its enduring legacy as a name deeply rooted in the country's cultural and occupational traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maier
Among Census respondents with the surname Maier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Maier 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 Maier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 12,365
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 502
- Two or more races2.9% · 389
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 114
- Black or African American0.5% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maier
Maier 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
#2,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,135
+206 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 4.79
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#2,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,479
-656 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.51
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,385 | 13,929 | 5.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,557 | 14,135 | 4.79 | +206 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #2,613 | 13,479 | 4.51 | -656 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 56 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 Maier 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 | #2,557 | #2,613 | -2.2% |
| Count | 14,135 | 13,479 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.79 | 4.51 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maier bearers went from 14,135 to 13,479 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,557 to #2,613.
FAQ
Maier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maier?
Name Census estimates that about 15,457 living Americans carry the surname Maier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,175 residents.
How common is Maier?
Maier ranks #2,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,479 people with the surname Maier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,457), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Maier.
Has Maier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maier went from 14,135 recorded bearers to 13,479. That is a decrease of 656 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,557 to #2,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Maier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Maier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (12,365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Maier (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 Maier mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or administrator of a farm or estate. 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 Maier (4.51 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 Maier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.