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

Mier, 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 Mier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mier in America

Mier is the 8449th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mier surname appeared 3,910 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mier 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mier

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

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 Mier 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 Mier 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 Mier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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