2000
#15,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,795
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Meurer
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Meurer" meaning a mason or bricklayer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,033 Americans carry the last name Meurer. That puts it at #15,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meurer 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
2.0K
1 in 168,595
Census rank
#15,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,773 bearers of the surname Meurer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meurer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meurer
The surname MEURER is of German origin, with its earliest known roots dating back to the Middle Ages in the German-speaking regions of central Europe. The name is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "mürer," which translates to "mason" or "bricklayer," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname were involved in the construction trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MEURER surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the late 13th century, where a certain "Conradus Murer" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Regensburg, Bavaria.
In the 14th century, the MEURER name appears in various church records and municipal registers across German territories, including entries for individuals such as "Heinricus Murer" in Nuremberg (1328) and "Johannes Murer" in Cologne (1352).
During the Renaissance period, several notable figures bore the MEURER surname, such as the humanist scholar and poet Christoph Meurer (1492-1557), who was born in Arnstein, Franconia, and served as a rector at the University of Leipzig.
In the 17th century, the MEURER name gained recognition through the works of the German composer and organist Samuel Meurer (1621-1668), who was born in Naumburg and served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.
Another prominent MEURER from this era was the German philosopher and mathematician Justus Christoph Meurer (1629-1711), who was born in Weissenfels and made significant contributions to the fields of logic and ethics.
Moving into the 18th century, the MEURER surname continued to be associated with notable figures, such as the German theologian and philosopher Johann Gottfried Meuerer (1713-1780), who was born in Saxony and served as a professor at the University of Jena.
Throughout the 19th century, the MEURER name appeared in various historical records across German-speaking regions, with individuals such as the German physicist and mathematician Gustav Meurer (1805-1874), who was born in Halle and made significant contributions to the study of optics and electromagnetism.
The MEURER surname has also been carried by individuals who have made their mark in more recent times, such as the German writer and journalist Fritz Meurer (1893-1964), who was born in Karlsruhe and wrote extensively on social and political issues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meurer
Among Census respondents with the surname Meurer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Meurer 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 Meurer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,608
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 101
- Two or more races2.4% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meurer
Meurer 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
#16,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,804
+9 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 982 places
2020
#15,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,773
-31 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,078 | 1,795 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,060 | 1,804 | 0.61 | +9 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 982 places |
| 2020 | #15,818 | 1,773 | 0.59 | -31 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 242 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 Meurer 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 | #16,060 | #15,818 | 1.5% |
| Count | 1,804 | 1,773 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.59 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meurer bearers went from 1,804 to 1,773 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 242 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,060 to #15,818.
FAQ
Meurer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meurer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,033 living Americans carry the surname Meurer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,595 residents.
How common is Meurer?
Meurer ranks #15,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,773 people with the surname Meurer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,033), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Meurer.
Has Meurer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meurer went from 1,804 recorded bearers to 1,773. That is a decrease of 31 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,060 to #15,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Meurer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meurer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Meurer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meurer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Meurer (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 Meurer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Meurer" meaning a mason or bricklayer. 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 Meurer (0.59 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 Americans have the surname Meurer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.