Find out how popular the last name Meyer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Meyer.

Meyer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Meyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meyer in America

Meyer is the 183rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meyer surname appeared 150,895 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 51 people would have the surname Meyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meyer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Meyer

The surname Meyer has its origins in Germany and is derived from the German word "Meier," which means a bailiff or a steward. The name first appeared in the 12th century in the area of Saxony, where the Meiers were landowners and officials responsible for managing agricultural estates.

In the Middle Ages, the Meyer surname was commonly associated with individuals who held positions of authority in the rural areas of Germany. The name can be found in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which dates back to the 13th century and contains references to individuals with the surname Meyer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meyer is in the Annales Saxonici Fuldenses, a chronicle from the 9th century, which mentions a certain "Meiarius" who served as a royal steward. This suggests that the name's origins may extend even further back in time.

In the 14th century, the Meyer surname appeared in the Stadtbuch von Quedlinburg, a medieval municipal record from the city of Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt. This document contains several entries related to individuals with the surname Meyer, indicating their presence in the region during that period.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Meyer include Johann Meyer (1450-1510), a German theologian and reformer who supported Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation; Friedrich Meyer (1824-1898), a Swiss botanist and poet; Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898), a Swiss poet and writer known for his historical novels; and Albert Meyer (1870-1953), a Swiss artist and painter renowned for his landscapes and portraits.

Another prominent individual with the Meyer surname was Eduard Meyer (1855-1930), a German historian and Egyptologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient history. He is particularly known for his work on the history of the ancient Near East and his comprehensive Geschichte des Altertums (History of Antiquity).

The Meyer surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Meyern, Meyerstadt, and Meyersdorf, reflecting the widespread presence of individuals with this surname in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meyer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Meyer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Meyer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Meyer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Meyer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Meyer, please contact us.

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