2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meringer
A surname of German origin, potentially referring to someone from the village of Meringen or derived from a nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Meringer. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meringer 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Meringer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meringer
The surname Meringer is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "meringer," which referred to a person from the town of Mering, located in the Bavarian region of Germany.
The name Mering itself is derived from the Old High German word "meri," meaning "lake" or "pond." This suggests that the town of Mering was likely situated near a body of water, and the people who lived there were identified by this geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Meringer can be found in the Bavarian church records from the late 1500s. These records document the birth, marriage, and death of individuals bearing the Meringer name, providing valuable insights into the family's history and presence in the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Meringer was Johann Meringer, a German scholar and linguist born in 1623. He made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages and authored several works on linguistic theory and analysis.
Another prominent individual with the Meringer surname was Karl Meringer, a renowned Austrian linguist and philologist born in 1859. He is best known for his pioneering work in the field of word formation and his studies on language change and evolution.
During the 19th century, the Meringer family had established a presence in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. Records from this period show variations in the spelling of the surname, such as Meringer, Maeringer, and Meringer.
In the early 20th century, a German-American author and playwright named Walter Meringer gained recognition for his works exploring themes of immigration and cultural assimilation. He was born in 1880 in Munich, Germany, and later emigrated to the United States, where he wrote several plays and novels.
Another notable figure bearing the Meringer surname was Hans Meringer, an Austrian artist and sculptor born in 1919. His works, primarily focused on abstract and modernist forms, were exhibited in galleries across Europe and are held in various museum collections.
While the Meringer surname is not as widespread as some other German surnames, its rich history and connections to different regions and individuals throughout the centuries provide an intriguing glimpse into the cultural and linguistic traditions of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meringer
Among Census respondents with the surname Meringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Meringer 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 Meringer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meringer
Meringer 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Meringer 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 | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meringer bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Meringer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meringer?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Meringer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Meringer?
Meringer ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Meringer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Meringer.
Has Meringer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meringer went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Meringer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%). 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 Meringer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meringer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (13.0%). 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 Meringer (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 Meringer mean?
A surname of German origin, potentially referring to someone from the village of Meringen or derived from a nickname. 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 Meringer (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 have the last name Meringer?
Find out how many people are called Meringer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.