2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mihlbauer
An occupational surname referring to a miller or flour mill operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Mihlbauer. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mihlbauer 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Mihlbauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihlbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mihlbauer
The surname Mihlbauer is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "mül" (mill) and "gebüwer" (builder or farmer), indicating that the name likely referred to a person who either operated a mill or lived near one.
The earliest known record of the Mihlbauer name comes from the town of Bamberg, located in the northern Bavarian region of Germany, where a certain Johannes Mihlbauer was documented in a municipal register in 1387. This area, known for its rich agricultural lands and numerous mills along the Main River, provided a suitable setting for the emergence of such a surname.
In the 15th century, the Mihlbauer name appeared in various Germanic regions, including the Rhineland and Saxony. Notable individuals from this era include Hans Mihlbauer, a master baker from Cologne (1428-1497), and Konrad Mihlbauer, a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Weissenfels (1451-1523).
As the centuries passed, the Mihlbauer name spread across the German-speaking world, with some variations in spelling, such as Mühlbauer and Muehlbauer. In the 17th century, a prominent figure was Johann Mihlbauer (1618-1685), a Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg, whose works on religious doctrine were widely circulated.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable Mihlbauers, including Wilhelm Mihlbauer (1802-1871), a renowned architect from Munich who designed several iconic buildings in the city, and Karl Mihlbauer (1831-1904), a pioneering industrialist from Saxony who revolutionized the production of textile machinery.
Another influential figure was Anna Mihlbauer (1855-1924), a prolific writer and activist from Vienna who championed women's rights and social reform. Her novels and essays provided an important voice for the feminist movement in Austria during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mihlbauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihlbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mihlbauer 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 Mihlbauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 105
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mihlbauer
Mihlbauer 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,303 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,303 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 909 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 Mihlbauer 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 | #141,140 | #142,049 | -0.6% |
| Count | 118 | 120 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mihlbauer bearers went from 118 to 120 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,049.
FAQ
Mihlbauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mihlbauer?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Mihlbauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Mihlbauer?
Mihlbauer ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Mihlbauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Mihlbauer.
Has Mihlbauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mihlbauer went from 118 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Mihlbauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihlbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Mihlbauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mihlbauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (4.2%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Mihlbauer (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 Mihlbauer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a miller or flour mill operator. 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 Mihlbauer (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 have the last name Mihlbauer?
You can see how many people are called Mihlbauer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.