2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Muhar
A surname of Slavic origin possibly derived from the name Muharem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Muhar. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muhar 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Muhar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muhar, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muhar
The surname MUHAR is believed to have originated in the region that is now modern-day Austria, dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the old German word "muor," which referred to a swampy or marshy area, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near such terrain.
One of the earliest documented references to the name MUHAR can be found in a 14th century manuscript from the Austrian town of Graz, where a man named Hans MUHAR was recorded as a landowner. This indicates that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name MUHAR appeared in various records from the town of Ybbs an der Donau, located in Lower Austria. These records mention individuals such as Matthias MUHAR, born in 1528, and his son, Jakob MUHAR, born in 1562, who were both farmers in the area.
The name MUHAR has also been linked to certain place names in Austria, such as the village of Muharremsdorf, which is believed to have been named after an early settler with the surname MUHAR.
Notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname MUHAR include:
1. Johann MUHAR (1643-1712), an Austrian composer and organist known for his sacred music compositions.
2. Maximilian MUHAR (1789-1846), an Austrian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Franziska MUHAR (1825-1891), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for her landscape and genre paintings.
4. Karl MUHAR (1881-1959), an Austrian architect who designed several notable buildings in Vienna and other cities.
5. Ernst MUHAR (1920-2005), an Austrian writer and journalist who published several novels and non-fiction works.
While the surname MUHAR is not among the most common in Austria today, its historical roots and connections to various individuals and places throughout the centuries make it a notable part of the country's cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muhar
Among Census respondents with the surname Muhar, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Muhar 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 Muhar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander43.0% · 46
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muhar
Muhar 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+15 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,955 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-11 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 5,955 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 10,499 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 Muhar 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 | #141,140 | #151,639 | -7.4% |
| Count | 118 | 107 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muhar bearers went from 118 to 107 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 10,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #151,639.
FAQ
Muhar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muhar?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Muhar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Muhar?
Muhar ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Muhar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Muhar.
Has Muhar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muhar went from 118 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Muhar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muhar, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (43.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Muhar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (53 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muhar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (43.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Muhar (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 Muhar mean?
A surname of Slavic origin possibly derived from the name Muharem. 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 Muhar (0.04 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 are called Muhar?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Muhar? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.