2000
#11,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Meunier
An occupational surname referring to a miller or flour grinder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,947 Americans carry the last name Meunier. That puts it at #11,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meunier 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 Meunier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,306
Census rank
#11,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,570 bearers of the surname Meunier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meunier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meunier
The surname Meunier has its origins in France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "mounier," which means "miller" or someone who operates a mill. The name likely originated in areas where mills were prevalent, such as along rivers or streams.
The earliest recorded instances of the Meunier surname can be found in medieval French records and documents. For example, a Jean Meunier is mentioned in a parish record from the village of Mons in Normandy, dated 1297. Another early reference is to a Pierre Meunier, who was a landowner in the Burgundy region in the 14th century.
In some cases, the surname may have derived from a place name containing the word "moulin" (mill), such as Moulins-lès-Metz in northeastern France. The name could also have been adopted as a descriptive surname for someone who worked at a mill or lived near one.
One notable figure with the Meunier surname was Jacques Meunier (1552-1625), a French Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Paris. Another was Jean-Baptiste Meunier (1765-1815), a French geologist and mining engineer who made significant contributions to the study of mineralogy.
Other historical figures bearing this name include:
1. Pierre-François Meunier (1738-1808), a French architect and urban planner known for his work on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
2. Étienne Meunier (1841-1914), a French geologist and mineralogist who made important discoveries in the field of petrology.
3. Constantin Meunier (1831-1905), a Belgian painter and sculptor renowned for his depictions of industrial workers and scenes of everyday life.
4. Philippe Meunier (1850-1923), a French engineer and industrialist who was a pioneer in the development of reinforced concrete construction.
5. Jean-Marie Meunier (1815-1885), a French historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the French Revolution.
Over the centuries, the Meunier surname has spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, but its origins can be traced back to the millers and mill workers of medieval France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meunier
Among Census respondents with the surname Meunier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meunier 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 Meunier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,343
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 97
- Two or more races2.7% · 70
- Black or African American1.4% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meunier
Meunier 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
#11,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,641
+78 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 546 places
2020
#11,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,570
-71 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,310 | 2,563 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,856 | 2,641 | 0.90 | +78 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 546 places |
| 2020 | #11,675 | 2,570 | 0.86 | -71 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 181 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 Meunier 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 | #11,856 | #11,675 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,641 | 2,570 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.86 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meunier bearers went from 2,641 to 2,570 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,856 to #11,675.
FAQ
Meunier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meunier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,947 living Americans carry the surname Meunier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,306 residents.
How common is Meunier?
Meunier ranks #11,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,570 people with the surname Meunier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Meunier.
Has Meunier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meunier went from 2,641 recorded bearers to 2,570. That is a decrease of 71 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,856 to #11,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Meunier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meunier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) 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 Meunier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,343 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meunier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), 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 Meunier (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 Meunier mean?
An occupational surname referring to a miller or flour grinder. 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 Meunier (0.86 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 Meunier?
See how many people have the surname Meunier on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.