2000
#8,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Mier
A German occupational surname referring to a tenant farmer or steward of a landed estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,212 Americans carry the last name Mier. That puts it at #8,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mier 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
4.2K
1 in 81,376
Census rank
#8,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,673 bearers of the surname Mier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mier, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.6%. The next largest groups are White (39.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mier
The surname Mier has its origins in the Low German language, specifically from the word "mer" or "meer" which means "lake" or "sea." It first emerged in the northern regions of Germany and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Mier can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. The name likely referred to individuals who lived near a lake or coastal area.
In the 14th century, the surname Mier appeared in various Dutch records, including the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a collection of charters and documents from the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. This suggests that the name had spread to the Low Countries by that time.
The town of Meerlo in the Dutch province of Limburg may have contributed to the surname's popularity in that region. Variations of the spelling, such as Mer, Meer, and Meier, were also common during this period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hendrik van der Meer, a wealthy merchant from Delft who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Jan Mierse, a Dutch painter born in 1570 who was known for his portraits and religious works.
In the 16th century, the Mier surname began to appear in German records, particularly in the northern regions of the country. Johannes Meier, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1589, made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
The Mier surname also found its way to England, possibly through Dutch or German immigrants. Sir Christopher Myer, born in 1570, was an English diplomat and ambassador to Russia during the reign of King James I.
In Spain, the name Mier is believed to have originated from the Cantabrian region and is thought to be derived from the Basque word "miar," meaning "to meow." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Spain was Juan de Mier, a 15th-century nobleman and military leader from Asturias.
Throughout history, the Mier surname has been associated with various professions, from merchants and artists to scholars and military figures. While its origins can be traced back to the Low German and Dutch regions, the name has since spread to many parts of Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mier
Among Census respondents with the surname Mier, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.6%. The next largest groups are White (39.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mier 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 Mier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino53.6% · 1,969
- White39.9% · 1,464
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 115
- Two or more races2.5% · 92
- Black or African American0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mier
Mier 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
#8,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,910
+364 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 105 places
2020
#8,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,673
-237 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,554 | 3,546 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,449 | 3,910 | 1.33 | +364 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 105 places |
| 2020 | #8,590 | 3,673 | 1.23 | -237 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 141 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 Mier 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 | #8,449 | #8,590 | -1.7% |
| Count | 3,910 | 3,673 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.23 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mier bearers went from 3,910 to 3,673 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,449 to #8,590.
FAQ
Mier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mier?
Name Census estimates that about 4,212 living Americans carry the surname Mier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,376 residents.
How common is Mier?
Mier ranks #8,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,673 people with the surname Mier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Mier.
Has Mier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mier went from 3,910 recorded bearers to 3,673. That is a decrease of 237 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,449 to #8,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Mier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mier, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.6%. The next largest groups are White (39.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.6% (1,969 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (53.6%), White (39.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Mier (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 Mier mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a tenant farmer or steward of a landed estate. 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 Mier (1.23 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 Mier?
You can see how many people have the surname Mier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.