2000
#12,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Minyard
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked in or managed a mining yard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,421 Americans carry the last name Minyard. That puts it at #13,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,576 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minyard 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
2.4K
1 in 141,576
Census rank
#13,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,111 bearers of the surname Minyard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minyard
The surname Minyard originated in England during the late medieval period, derived from the Old English words "mynster" meaning monastery and "geard" meaning yard or enclosure. It was likely first used to refer to someone who lived near or worked at a monastery yard or enclosure.
One of the earliest known records of the name Minyard can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Munigarth" in the county of Wiltshire. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a specific location or settlement near a monastery.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with various forms appearing in historical documents such as Munyard, Miniard, Minniard, and eventually settling on the modern spelling of Minyard. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes or record-keepers.
Notable individuals with the surname Minyard include John Minyard, a 16th-century merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, born around 1520. Another early record is of William Minyard, a landowner and farmer from the village of Minyard in Gloucestershire, who lived in the late 15th century.
In the 17th century, Thomas Minyard (1632-1698) was a prominent figure in the city of Bristol, serving as a alderman and mayor during the reign of King Charles II. His son, also named Thomas Minyard (1674-1742), followed in his footsteps and became a respected merchant and local politician in Bristol.
During the 18th century, the name Minyard was well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. One notable bearer of the name was Robert Minyard (1720-1789), a wealthy landowner and agriculturalist from Somerset, who was known for his innovative farming techniques and advocacy for agricultural reform.
As the centuries passed, the Minyard name continued to spread across England and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by individuals who emigrated or sought new opportunities in distant lands. Despite its widespread dispersion, the name retains its roots in the historical regions of England where it first emerged as a distinct surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minyard
Among Census respondents with the surname Minyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Minyard 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 Minyard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 1,765
- Two or more races5.7% · 121
- Black or African American4.4% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minyard
Minyard 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
#12,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,477
+169 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 167 places
2020
#13,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
-366 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,221 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,347 | 2,308 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,514 | 2,477 | 0.84 | +169 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 167 places |
| 2020 | #13,735 | 2,111 | 0.71 | -366 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 1,221 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 Minyard 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 | #12,514 | #13,735 | -9.8% |
| Count | 2,477 | 2,111 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.71 | -15.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minyard bearers went from 2,477 to 2,111 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 1,221 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,514 to #13,735.
FAQ
Minyard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minyard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,421 living Americans carry the surname Minyard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,576 residents.
How common is Minyard?
Minyard ranks #13,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,111 people with the surname Minyard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Minyard.
Has Minyard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minyard went from 2,477 recorded bearers to 2,111. That is a decrease of 366 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,514 to #13,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Minyard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (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 Minyard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (1,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minyard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Black (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 Minyard (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 Minyard mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked in or managed a mining yard. 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 Minyard (0.71 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 surname Minyard?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.