2000
#1,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.23
Uncommon Last name
Meier
An occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or higher-ranking peasant farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,915 Americans carry the last name Meier. That puts it at #1,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meier 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 Meier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,854
Census rank
#1,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,215 bearers of the surname Meier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meier
The surname MEIER has its origins in Germany and is derived from the German word "Meier," which referred to a bailiff, steward, or tenant farmer. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century, during the era of the Holy Roman Empire.
The name MEIER was particularly common in the southern and central regions of Germany, such as Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saxony. It is thought to have evolved from the Old High German word "meier," which meant a steward or overseer of an estate or manor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MEIER can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Coloniensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Archdiocese of Cologne. This document mentions a "Hartmannus Meier" from the year 1149.
Another notable historical reference is the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the former German state of Württemberg. This compilation includes several mentions of individuals with the surname MEIER, such as "Cunradus Meier" in 1289 and "Henricus Meier" in 1302.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name MEIER was Johannes Meier, a German theologian and reformer who lived from around 1425 to 1501. He played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.
Other notable individuals with the surname MEIER throughout history include:
1. Joachim Meier (1661-1732), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
2. Ernst Meier (1832-1911), a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council.
3. Julius Meier (1874-1957), an American businessman and co-founder of the Weyerhaeuser Company.
4. Christian Meier (born 1976), a German actor known for his roles in films like "The Lives of Others" and "The Baader Meinhof Complex."
5. Sebastian Meier (born 1990), a German professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.
While the surname MEIER is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other German-speaking regions, such as Switzerland and Austria, as well as in countries with significant German immigration, like the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meier
Among Census respondents with the surname Meier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meier 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 Meier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 23,250
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 878
- Two or more races2.9% · 728
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 198
- Black or African American0.4% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meier
Meier 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
#1,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,486
+600 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 8.64
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,215
-271 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 8.44
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,298 | 24,886 | 9.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,391 | 25,486 | 8.64 | +600 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,381 | 25,215 | 8.44 | -271 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 10 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 Meier 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 | #1,391 | #1,381 | 0.7% |
| Count | 25,486 | 25,215 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 8.64 | 8.44 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meier bearers went from 25,486 to 25,215 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,391 to #1,381.
FAQ
Meier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meier?
Name Census estimates that about 28,915 living Americans carry the surname Meier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,854 residents.
How common is Meier?
Meier ranks #1,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,215 people with the surname Meier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Meier.
Has Meier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meier went from 25,486 recorded bearers to 25,215. That is a decrease of 271 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,391 to #1,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Meier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) 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 Meier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (23,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), 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 Meier (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 Meier mean?
An occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or higher-ranking peasant farmer. 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 Meier (8.44 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 Meier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.