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

Miner, 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 Miner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Miner in America

Miner is the 1683rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Miner surname appeared 21,439 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Miner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Miner 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 Miner

The surname Miner originated from the Anglo-Saxon word "munere" which means miner or worker in mines. It is an occupational surname that emerged in England during the medieval period, specifically in regions where mining was a prominent industry.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Miner can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive census conducted under the orders of William the Conqueror. Several individuals bearing variations of the name, such as "le Miner" and "le Minur," were documented in counties like Devon and Somerset.

As mining continued to grow in importance throughout the Middle Ages, the surname became more widespread across England. It was particularly prevalent in areas rich in mineral resources, such as Cornwall, Derbyshire, and the Yorkshire Dales, where mining activities were concentrated.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Miner was William le Miner, who lived in Gloucestershire during the 13th century. Another notable figure was John Miner, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset, who was born in the late 15th century and played a significant role in local affairs.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Miner appeared in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. Some notable individuals from this period include Thomas Miner, a Puritan settler who arrived in New England in 1630, and John Miner, a prominent citizen of Stratford, Connecticut, who was born in 1638.

In the 18th century, the Miner surname gained recognition through the achievements of individuals like Thomas Miner, a physician and mathematician who was born in 1712 and made contributions to the field of calculus. Another notable figure was William Miner, a British officer in the Royal Navy who served during the American Revolutionary War and was born in 1742.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the Miner surname continued to be associated with the mining industry, as well as other occupations related to the extraction and processing of minerals. Some notable individuals from this era include Hiram Abiff Miner, an American politician and lawyer born in 1824, and Thomas Miner, a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to mining equipment in the late 1800s.

Throughout history, the surname Miner has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including miners, merchants, artists, and professionals. It has also been found in different spellings and variations, such as Myner, Minour, and Minard, reflecting the regional and linguistic diversity of the English language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Miner

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

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

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

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