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

Moyer, 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 Moyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moyer in America

Moyer is the 935th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moyer surname appeared 37,050 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Moyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moyer 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 Moyer

The surname Moyer is of German origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from the German word "Mayer," meaning a tenant farmer or steward of an estate.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Mayer, Meier, and Mayr, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations common during that time. One of the earliest known occurrences of the name can be found in the records of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Mayer is mentioned in a document dated 1402.

The name Moyer is thought to have evolved from the earlier spellings as German immigrants settled in other regions, particularly in Pennsylvania, United States, where many of them established farming communities in the 18th and 19th centuries. The spelling "Moyer" became more prevalent in these areas, likely due to the influence of English pronunciation.

One notable figure with the surname Moyer was Johann Tobias Moyer (1737-1810), a German-American pioneer and settler in Pennsylvania. He and his family were among the early German immigrants to the region and helped establish the town of Northampton County.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Henry Moyer (1794-1873), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate in the mid-19th century.

In the world of literature, the name Moyer is associated with Artur Moyer van den Bruck (1876-1925), a German cultural critic and political writer who played a significant role in the development of the Conservative Revolutionary movement in the early 20th century.

In the realm of sports, one cannot overlook Jamie Moyer (born 1962), a former professional baseball pitcher who had a remarkable career spanning over 25 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies.

Lastly, the name Moyer has also been linked to academic and scientific pursuits, with individuals such as Robert Moyer (1918-2004), an American physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of solid-state physics and held positions at various prestigious institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moyer

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

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

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

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