2000
#1,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,333
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.54
Uncommon Last name
Maurer
A German occupational surname referring to a wall builder, bricklayer, or mason.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,888 Americans carry the last name Maurer. That puts it at #1,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maurer 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 Maurer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,975
Census rank
#1,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,959 bearers of the surname Maurer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maurer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maurer
The surname MAURER has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the German word "Maurer," which means "mason" or "bricklayer," referring to the occupation of laying bricks or stone to construct buildings.
MAURER is an occupational surname, indicating that the original bearer of the name was involved in the construction trade, specifically as a mason or bricklayer. This type of surname was common during the Middle Ages when surnames were adopted to distinguish individuals based on their profession or trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the name MAURER can be found in various medieval documents and records from German-speaking regions. One notable example is the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century, which mentions individuals with the surname MAURER.
In the 14th century, the name MAURER appeared in the Stadtbücher (town books) of various German cities, such as Nuremberg and Augsburg, where masons and bricklayers were listed as residents and tradesmen.
Some notable individuals with the surname MAURER throughout history include:
1. Konrad Maurer (1823-1902), a German philologist and historian who specialized in Old Norse literature and Icelandic studies.
2. Georg Ludwig von Maurer (1790-1872), a German legal historian and professor of law at the University of Munich.
3. Yvonne Maurer (1909-1994), a Swiss painter and sculptor known for her abstract expressionist works.
4. Christopher Maurer (1558-1614), a German cartographer and engraver who created several important maps and atlases.
5. Gottfried Maurer (1633-1703), a German Baroque composer and organist active in the Baroque period.
The name MAURER has also been associated with various place names, particularly in German-speaking regions. For example, the town of Maurersdorf (literally "Masons' Village") in Saxony, Germany, likely derived its name from the presence of masons or bricklayers in the area.
While the surname MAURER has its roots in Germany and the occupation of masonry, it has since spread worldwide and can be found in various spellings and variations, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences of different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maurer
Among Census respondents with the surname Maurer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maurer 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 Maurer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 18,537
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 601
- Two or more races2.6% · 526
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 168
- Black or African American0.5% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maurer
Maurer 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
#1,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,707
+374 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 7.02
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#1,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,959
-748 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 6.68
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,616 | 20,333 | 7.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,729 | 20,707 | 7.02 | +374 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #1,756 | 19,959 | 6.68 | -748 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 27 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 Maurer 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 | #1,729 | #1,756 | -1.6% |
| Count | 20,707 | 19,959 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.02 | 6.68 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maurer bearers went from 20,707 to 19,959 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,729 to #1,756.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maurer
FAQ
Maurer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maurer?
Name Census estimates that about 22,888 living Americans carry the surname Maurer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,975 residents.
How common is Maurer?
Maurer ranks #1,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,959 people with the surname Maurer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,888), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Maurer.
Has Maurer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maurer went from 20,707 recorded bearers to 19,959. That is a decrease of 748 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,729 to #1,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Maurer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maurer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Maurer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (18,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maurer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Maurer (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 Maurer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a wall builder, bricklayer, or mason. 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 Maurer (6.68 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 Americans have the surname Maurer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.