2000
#85
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224,824
First available Census row
Per 100,000 83.34
Common Last name
Myers
An occupational surname referring to a steward or bailiff who managed land and collected rents for a landlord.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 253,407 Americans carry the last name Myers. That puts it at #103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 73.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Myers 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 Myers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
253K
1 in 1,353
Census rank
#103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
73.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
221K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 220,983 bearers of the surname Myers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 73.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Myers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Myers
The surname Myers is of Anglo-German origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English "myres," meaning marshes or bogs, suggesting that the name likely originated among people living in marshy areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Aluric de Meres in Shropshire, England. This early spelling variation, "de Meres," reflects the name's connection to a specific place or locality.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name evolved into various spellings, including Mires, Myres, and Myers, as it spread across different regions of England. One notable figure from this period was Sir John Meres, a member of the Garter Knights of Bedfordshire, who lived around 1380.
By the 16th century, the Myers surname had become more widespread, particularly in counties like Yorkshire and Lancashire. In 1592, a record mentions a Thomas Myers, a yeoman from Yorkshire, indicating the name's association with landowners and farmers.
As the name spread across Europe, it also took on different variations based on local languages and dialects. In Germany, for instance, the name was often spelled as Meier or Meyers, deriving from the German word "Meier," which means a steward or bailiff.
One of the most famous bearers of the Myers surname was the American writer and educator, Gustavus Myers (1842-1942), known for his critical works on the history of the United States and its economic and political systems.
Other notable individuals with the Myers surname include:
1. Frances Myers (1893-1973), an American artist and illustrator known for her children's book illustrations.
2. Walter Myers (1937-2014), a American writer of children's books and young adult literature, renowned for his depictions of urban life and African American experiences.
3. Alice Myers (1892-1992), an Australian painter and printmaker, recognized for her landscape and still life works.
4. Howard Myers (1897-1981), an American film director and producer, best known for his work in the Western genre during the 1940s and 1950s.
5. Frederic W.H. Myers (1843-1901), an English poet and literary critic, and a founding member of the Society for Psychical Research.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myers
Among Census respondents with the surname Myers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Myers 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 Myers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 180,040
- Black or African American10.3% · 22,791
- Two or more races3.9% · 8,727
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 6,888
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,454
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1,083
Timeline
Historical Census data for Myers
Myers 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
#96
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229,895
+5,071 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 77.94
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220,983
-8,912 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 73.93
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85 | 224,824 | 83.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #96 | 229,895 | 77.94 | +5,071 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #103 | 220,983 | 73.93 | -8,912 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 7 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 Myers 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 | #96 | #103 | -7.3% |
| Count | 229,895 | 220,983 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 77.94 | 73.93 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Myers bearers went from 229,895 to 220,983 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #96 to #103.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Myers
FAQ
Myers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Myers?
Name Census estimates that about 253,407 living Americans carry the surname Myers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,353 residents.
How common is Myers?
Myers ranks #103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 73.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 74 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 220,983 people with the surname Myers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (253,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 73.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 73.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 74 of them to have the surname Myers.
Has Myers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Myers went from 229,895 recorded bearers to 220,983. That is a decrease of 8,912 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #96 to #103.
What does the Census say about the background of Myers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Myers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Myers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (180,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Myers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Myers (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 Myers mean?
An occupational surname referring to a steward or bailiff who managed land and collected rents for a landlord. 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 Myers (73.93 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 Myers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.