2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meyrowitz
A surname of Ashkenazic Jewish (German and Eastern European) origin referring to a town mayor or headman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Meyrowitz. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meyrowitz 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Meyrowitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyrowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meyrowitz
The surname Meyrowitz has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in what is now modern-day Germany and Poland. It is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Meyrowitz is derived from the German word "Meier," which can be traced back to the Old High German word "meiari," meaning a steward or overseer of an estate or farm. It was a common occupational surname given to those who held such positions on large agricultural estates or manors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meyrowitz can be found in the Bautzen County Court Records from the region of Upper Lusatia, located in what is now eastern Germany and western Poland. The record, dated 1472, mentions a certain Hanns Meyrowitz as a witness in a legal dispute.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Breslau, now known as Wrocław in Poland. A notable figure from this time was Caspar Meyrowitz, a merchant and councilman who lived between 1540 and 1612.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Meyrowicz, Meyerowitz, and Meirowitz. These variations often reflected local dialects and regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Meyrowitz, a German theologian and writer who lived from 1681 to 1742. He authored several works on religious topics and served as a pastor in the city of Leipzig.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Meyrowitz was Gustav Meyrowitz, a German industrialist and inventor who lived from 1816 to 1888. He is credited with developing one of the earliest successful methods for mass-producing steel pens, which revolutionized the writing instrument industry.
Another individual of note was Max Meyrowitz, a German-American artist and illustrator who lived from 1874 to 1945. He is best known for his illustrations in children's books and magazines, particularly his work for the popular German magazine Jugend.
While the surname Meyrowitz is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history rooted in the agricultural and commercial traditions of German-speaking regions, with many bearers of the name leaving their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meyrowitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyrowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meyrowitz 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 Meyrowitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meyrowitz
Meyrowitz 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,421 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+12 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,937 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,421 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 11,937 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 Meyrowitz 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 | #158,432 | #146,495 | 7.5% |
| Count | 102 | 114 | 11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meyrowitz bearers went from 102 to 114 (+11.8% change). The surname moved up 11,937 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #146,495.
FAQ
Meyrowitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meyrowitz?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Meyrowitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Meyrowitz?
Meyrowitz ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Meyrowitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Meyrowitz.
Has Meyrowitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meyrowitz went from 102 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 12 (+11.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Meyrowitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyrowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Meyrowitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meyrowitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Meyrowitz (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 Meyrowitz mean?
A surname of Ashkenazic Jewish (German and Eastern European) origin referring to a town mayor or headman. 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 Meyrowitz (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 share the surname Meyrowitz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.