2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meierer
A German surname derived from the word "Meier", meaning an agricultural occupant or tenant farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Meierer. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meierer 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Meierer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meierer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meierer
The surname Meierer has its origins in Switzerland and Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. This name is derived from the German word "Meier," which refers to a bailiff, steward, or manager of an estate. Originally, it would have been an occupational name given to someone who held such a position.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meierer can be found in the Berne Shillings Roll of 1288, which lists a Walther Meier among the citizens of the Swiss city. In Germany, the name appears in records from the 14th century onwards, with variants like Meiger and Meygher.
The Meierer surname is closely tied to the village of Meierhof in the Swiss canton of Bern, which was likely named after someone with this occupational title. This connection suggests that the name may have originated in that region before spreading to other parts of Switzerland and Germany.
During the 15th century, a notable figure with the name Meierer was Hans Meierer, a Swiss mercenary soldier who fought in the Burgundian Wars between 1474 and 1477. Another early bearer of the name was Johann Meierer, a German theologian and author who lived from 1536 to 1612.
In the 17th century, there was a prominent Swiss family named Meierer von Meierhof, who were members of the patrician class in Bern. One of their descendants, Johann Rudolf Meierer von Meierhof (1673-1733), served as a bailiff in the region of Vaud.
Another distinguished individual with this surname was Johann Meierer (1713-1780), a German poet and writer who is considered one of the pioneers of the Enlightenment in the Principality of Ansbach.
As the surname spread across Europe, it took on various regional spellings and variations, such as Meyrer, Meirer, and Meier. However, the core meaning and origin remained the same, tracing back to the occupation of estate manager or steward.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meierer
Among Census respondents with the surname Meierer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meierer 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 Meierer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meierer
Meierer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Meierer 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meierer bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Meierer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meierer?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Meierer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Meierer?
Meierer ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Meierer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Meierer.
Has Meierer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meierer went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Meierer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meierer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Meierer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meierer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Meierer (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 Meierer mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Meier", meaning an agricultural occupant or tenant 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 Meierer (0.04 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 are called Meierer?
See how many people are called Meierer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.