2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mierendorf
A German surname indicating someone from the town of Mierendorf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Mierendorf. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mierendorf 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Mierendorf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mierendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mierendorf
The surname Mierendorf originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions near the North Sea coast. It likely dates back to the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "mier" meaning ant or emmet, and "dorf" meaning village or settlement. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived in a village known for its ant hills or colonies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mierendorf can be found in a document from the year 1284, which mentions a landowner named Heinrich Mierendorf in the town of Lübeck. Another early reference is from a church registry in the village of Mierendorf, near Hamburg, dated 1435.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Mierendorf (1512-1588) was a prominent merchant and trader based in the Hanseatic city of Bremen. He was known for his successful trading ventures with the Netherlands and England.
During the 17th century, the Mierendorf family had a strong presence in the region of East Frisia, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. A man named Gerhard Mierendorf (1634-1701) was a respected local magistrate and landowner in the town of Aurich.
In the 18th century, a Lutheran clergyman named Friedrich Mierendorf (1718-1786) served as the pastor of a church in the town of Oldenburg for over four decades. He was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.
Another notable figure with this surname was Carl Mierendorf (1797-1876), a German explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America and the Caribbean. He made significant contributions to the study of tropical flora and fauna, and several species of plants and animals were named after him.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Mirendorf, Mierendorp, and Mierendorp, were also common throughout history, particularly in different regions of Germany and the Low Countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mierendorf
Among Census respondents with the surname Mierendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mierendorf 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 Mierendorf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mierendorf
Mierendorf 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,466 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14,466 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 51 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 Mierendorf 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 | #149,395 | #149,446 | -0.0% |
| Count | 110 | 110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mierendorf bearers went from 110 to 110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #149,446.
FAQ
Mierendorf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mierendorf?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Mierendorf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Mierendorf?
Mierendorf ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Mierendorf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Mierendorf.
Has Mierendorf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mierendorf went from 110 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Mierendorf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mierendorf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Mierendorf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mierendorf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (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 Mierendorf (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 Mierendorf mean?
A German surname indicating someone from the town of Mierendorf. 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 Mierendorf (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 common is the surname Mierendorf?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mierendorf at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.