2000
#11,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Mire
Derived from a place name referring to a bog, swamp, or muddy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,354 Americans carry the last name Mire. That puts it at #10,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mire 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 Mire with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 102,193
Census rank
#10,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,925 bearers of the surname Mire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mire, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mire
The surname Mire has its origins in France and dates back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "mire," which means "physician" or "doctor." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who practiced medicine or worked as a healer.
In medieval times, the name Mire appeared in various records and manuscripts across different regions of France. One notable early reference is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Redon, a collection of charters and deeds from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany, which mentions a certain "Robertus Mire" in the year 1173.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Mire is believed to be that of Hugues Mire, who lived in the village of Châlons-sur-Marne in northeastern France during the late 12th century. Another early bearer of the name was Jean Mire, a merchant from the city of Lyon, who was mentioned in a commercial document dated 1279.
Over the centuries, the name Mire has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 15th century, Jean Mire was a French theologian and ambassador who served as a diplomat for King Charles VII of France. He played a significant role in the Council of Basel, a famous ecclesiastical council held in the city of Basel, Switzerland, between 1431 and 1449.
During the Renaissance period, Pierre Mire (1546-1622) was a French physician and author who wrote several books on medical topics, including a treatise on the plague. He was also a professor of medicine at the University of Montpellier and served as the personal physician to King Henry IV of France.
In the realm of literature, Prosper Mire (1778-1858) was a French poet and playwright who gained recognition for his works in the Romantic movement. He was a member of the prestigious Académie Française and is best known for his historical drama "La Jeunesse de Charles V" (The Youth of Charles V).
Another notable figure was Louis Mire (1857-1924), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris and other cities in France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His most famous work is the Grand Palais, a magnificent exhibition hall and cultural center located in the Champs-Élysées area of Paris.
While the surname Mire has French origins, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in Belgium and Switzerland, where it may have been introduced through migration or cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mire
Among Census respondents with the surname Mire, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mire 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 Mire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 2,232
- Black or African American16.9% · 494
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 99
- Two or more races2.2% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mire
Mire 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
#10,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,924
+322 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 285 places
2020
#10,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,925
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,179 | 2,602 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,894 | 2,924 | 0.99 | +322 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 285 places |
| 2020 | #10,475 | 2,925 | 0.98 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 419 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 Mire 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 | #10,894 | #10,475 | 3.8% |
| Count | 2,924 | 2,925 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.98 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mire bearers went from 2,924 to 2,925 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 419 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,894 to #10,475.
FAQ
Mire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mire?
Name Census estimates that about 3,354 living Americans carry the surname Mire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,193 residents.
How common is Mire?
Mire ranks #10,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,925 people with the surname Mire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Mire.
Has Mire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mire went from 2,924 recorded bearers to 2,925. That is an increase of 1 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,894 to #10,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Mire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mire, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (2,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (16.9%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Mire (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 Mire mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a bog, swamp, or muddy area. 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 Mire (0.98 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 Mire?
See how many people have the last name Mire on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.