2000
#14,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Minner
An occupational surname for a miner or someone who worked in the mining industry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,103 Americans carry the last name Minner. That puts it at #15,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minner 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
2.1K
1 in 162,984
Census rank
#15,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,834 bearers of the surname Minner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minner, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minner
The surname MINNER is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. One of the earliest known mentions of the name can be found in the records of the town of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Old German word "minne," which means "love" or "affection."
In its earliest forms, the surname was often spelled as "Minne" or "Minnen," reflecting its linguistic origins. As the name spread across different regions of Germany, various spelling variations emerged, such as "Minner," "Minninger," and "Minnecker." These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MINNER can be traced back to Hans Minner, a merchant from Cologne, who was born in 1421. His name appears in several historical documents related to trade activities within the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns.
Another noteworthy bearer of the MINNER surname was Johann Minner, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1525 to 1598. He was widely recognized for his contributions to the study of metaphysics and his writings on the nature of the human soul. His work, "De Anima" (On the Soul), published in 1573, was widely influential in academic circles during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the MINNER name gained prominence in the region of Bavaria, where several members of the family held positions of influence. One such individual was Georg Minner (1638-1702), a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Munich. His legal treatises on property rights and inheritance laws were widely studied and referenced by legal professionals of the time.
Another notable figure with the MINNER surname was Anna Minner (1720-1789), a renowned German painter and engraver. Her works, which often depicted religious and mythological themes, were highly sought after by wealthy patrons and art collectors across Europe. Several of her etchings and engravings can be found in the collections of major museums, including the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
In the 19th century, the MINNER name gained further recognition with the birth of Wilhelm Minner (1825-1901), a prominent German architect. He was responsible for the design and construction of several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag (German Parliament building) and the Berlin Cathedral. His architectural style, which blended elements of Romanesque and Gothic design, left a lasting impact on the cityscape of Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minner
Among Census respondents with the surname Minner, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Minner 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 Minner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 1,439
- Black or African American11.7% · 215
- Two or more races4.4% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minner
Minner 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
#14,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,027
+92 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 443 places
2020
#15,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,834
-193 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,226 | 1,935 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,669 | 2,027 | 0.69 | +92 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 443 places |
| 2020 | #15,395 | 1,834 | 0.61 | -193 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 726 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 Minner 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 | #14,669 | #15,395 | -4.9% |
| Count | 2,027 | 1,834 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.61 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minner bearers went from 2,027 to 1,834 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 726 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,669 to #15,395.
FAQ
Minner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,103 living Americans carry the surname Minner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,984 residents.
How common is Minner?
Minner ranks #15,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,834 people with the surname Minner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Minner.
Has Minner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minner went from 2,027 recorded bearers to 1,834. That is a decrease of 193 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,669 to #15,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Minner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minner, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Minner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (1,439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Minner (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 Minner mean?
An occupational surname for a miner or someone who worked in the mining industry. 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 Minner (0.61 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 Minner?
You can see how common the surname Minner is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.