2000
#803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.50
Uncommon Last name
Mayer
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or administrator of a landowner's property.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,275 Americans carry the last name Mayer. That puts it at #911 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mayer 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 Mayer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 7,920
Census rank
#911
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,738 bearers of the surname Mayer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 911th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mayer
The surname Mayer originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It derives from the German word "meier," which initially referred to a steward or bailiff responsible for managing a manor or estate. The name's earliest recorded spelling is "Meier," later evolving into variations like "Mayer" and "Meyer."
During the medieval period, the name Mayer was prevalent among the landowning class, as well as those employed in managing agricultural estates. Some of the earliest known bearers of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century in regions like Bavaria and Saxony, where records mention individuals with the name Mayer.
The Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, includes references to individuals with the surname Mayer as early as the 14th century. One notable mention is Johannes Mayer, a landowner and merchant from Leipzig, who was recorded in 1382.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it acquired various spellings based on local dialects and scribal variations. For instance, in some areas, the name was written as "Mayr" or "Maier," reflecting regional linguistic influences.
Throughout history, several prominent figures have borne the surname Mayer. One such individual was Johann Tobias Mayer (1723-1762), a renowned German astronomer and mathematician known for his influential work on lunar theory and the calculation of eclipses.
Another notable bearer of the name was Julius Robert Mayer (1814-1878), a German physicist and physician who formulated one of the earliest statements of the law of conservation of energy, a fundamental principle in physics.
In the artistic realm, Hans Mayer (1907-2001), a German literary scholar and critic, made significant contributions to the study of German literature, particularly in the field of drama and theater.
The name Mayer also gained prominence in the United States, where it was brought by German immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. One prominent American with this surname was Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957), a influential film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), one of the major Hollywood studios.
Additionally, John Mayer (born 1977), an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, has achieved widespread recognition and success in the music industry, further adding to the prominence of the Mayer surname in modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mayer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mayer 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 Mayer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 34,065
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 1,585
- Two or more races2.9% · 1,103
- Black or African American1.2% · 456
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 378
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 151
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mayer
Mayer 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
#880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,555
+444 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 13.41
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,738
-1,817 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 12.63
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #803 | 39,111 | 14.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #880 | 39,555 | 13.41 | +444 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #911 | 37,738 | 12.63 | -1,817 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 31 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 Mayer 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 | #880 | #911 | -3.5% |
| Count | 39,555 | 37,738 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 13.41 | 12.63 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mayer bearers went from 39,555 to 37,738 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #880 to #911.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mayer
FAQ
Mayer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mayer?
Name Census estimates that about 43,275 living Americans carry the surname Mayer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,920 residents.
How common is Mayer?
Mayer ranks #911 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,738 people with the surname Mayer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,275), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Mayer.
Has Mayer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mayer went from 39,555 recorded bearers to 37,738. That is a decrease of 1,817 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #880 to #911.
What does the Census say about the background of Mayer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) 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 Mayer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (34,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mayer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.2%), 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 Mayer (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 Mayer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or administrator of a landowner's property. 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 Mayer (12.63 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 Mayer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.