2000
#18,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Mir
A surname of Russian, Polish, or Jewish origin meaning "peace" or "world."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,241 Americans carry the last name Mir. That puts it at #10,785 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mir 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mir with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,756
Census rank
#10,785
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,826 bearers of the surname Mir in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10785th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.7%) and White (16.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mir
The surname Mir is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of modern-day Pakistan and northern India. Its roots can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "miri," which means "head" or "chief." This suggests that the name was initially used to denote someone who held a position of authority or leadership within a community or tribe.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the name Mir was commonly used as a title or honorific, particularly among Muslim nobility and administrators. It was often combined with other titles, such as Mir Bakshi (head of the military) or Mir Munshi (head of the scribes).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mir can be found in the Persian chronicle "Akbarnama," written by Abul Fazl in the late 16th century. The book mentions several individuals with the title Mir, including Mir Abdul Malik, a prominent courtier during the reign of Emperor Akbar.
In the 18th century, the name Mir gained prominence in the region of Kashmir, where it was associated with several influential families and rulers. One notable figure was Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (1314-1384), a renowned Sufi scholar and preacher who played a significant role in the spread of Islam in Kashmir.
Another historically significant individual with the surname Mir was Mir Jafar (1691-1765), a Bengali military commander who played a pivotal role in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. His actions led to the establishment of British rule in Bengal and marked the beginning of the East India Company's dominance in the region.
In more recent times, the name Mir has been carried by several notable individuals, including Mir Anis (1912-1988), a celebrated Urdu poet and playwright from Pakistan, and Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman (1925-2021), a prominent Pakistani jurist and former Chief Justice of the country.
It is worth noting that the name Mir has also been found in other parts of the world, such as Central Asia and the Middle East, where it may have been adopted through cultural or historical exchanges with the Indian subcontinent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mir
Among Census respondents with the surname Mir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.7%) and White (16.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mir 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 Mir surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.2% · 1,645
- Hispanic or Latino19.7% · 558
- White16.0% · 453
- Two or more races5.5% · 156
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mir
Mir 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
#14,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,097
+675 bearers (+47.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 3,798 places
2020
#10,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,826
+729 bearers (+34.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 3,494 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,077 | 1,422 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,279 | 2,097 | 0.71 | +675 bearers (+47.5%) | Up 3,798 places |
| 2020 | #10,785 | 2,826 | 0.95 | +729 bearers (+34.8%) | Up 3,494 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 Mir 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 | #14,279 | #10,785 | 24.5% |
| Count | 2,097 | 2,826 | 34.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.95 | 33.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mir bearers went from 2,097 to 2,826 (+34.8% change). The surname moved up 3,494 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,279 to #10,785.
FAQ
Mir surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mir?
Name Census estimates that about 3,241 living Americans carry the surname Mir. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,756 residents.
How common is Mir?
Mir ranks #10,785 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,826 people with the surname Mir. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Mir.
Has Mir become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mir went from 2,097 recorded bearers to 2,826. That is an increase of 729 (+34.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,279 to #10,785.
What does the Census say about the background of Mir?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mir, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.7%) and White (16.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mir in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.2% (1,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mir appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.2%), Hispanic (19.7%), White (16.0%). 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 Mir (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 Mir mean?
A surname of Russian, Polish, or Jewish origin meaning "peace" or "world." 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 Mir (0.95 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 Americans have the surname Mir?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.