2000
#9,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,992
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Myhre
Derived from a Norwegian place name meaning "marshland" or "bog."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,431 Americans carry the last name Myhre. That puts it at #10,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Myhre 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
3.4K
1 in 99,899
Census rank
#10,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,992 bearers of the surname Myhre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Myhre, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Myhre
The surname Myhre originates from Norway and dates back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the Old Norse word "myrr," meaning "bog" or "swamp," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents, where a person named Thorstein Myhre is mentioned in the year 1418. This suggests that the name was already established in Norway by the 15th century.
During the Viking Age, many Norwegians settled in various parts of the British Isles, including the Shetland Islands, where the name Myhre is thought to have taken root. In fact, the Shetland Islands are home to several place names containing the word "myre," such as Myrhaugh and Myrenning.
In the late 16th century, a man named Nils Myhre was recorded as a farmer in the Hardanger region of Norway. This area is known for its rich agricultural history, and it is possible that Nils Myhre's ancestors were among the early settlers who cultivated the fertile lands near the bogs and swamps.
One notable bearer of the Myhre surname was Hans Myhre, a Norwegian theologian and bishop who lived from 1770 to 1833. He served as the Bishop of Trondheim and played a significant role in the development of the Lutheran church in Norway during the early 19th century.
Another prominent figure with the Myhre surname was Olav Myhre, a Norwegian politician and diplomat who lived from 1896 to 1954. He served as the Norwegian ambassador to the United States from 1938 to 1941, playing a crucial role in maintaining diplomatic relations during the turbulent years of World War II.
In the realm of literature, the name Myhre is associated with the Norwegian author and poet Olav Myhre (1902-1990), who was known for his works that explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
While the surname Myhre may have evolved over time, it remains deeply rooted in Norwegian history and culture, carrying with it the echoes of the country's rugged landscapes and the resilience of its people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myhre
Among Census respondents with the surname Myhre, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Myhre 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 Myhre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,717
- Two or more races4.1% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 32
- Black or African American0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Myhre
Myhre 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
#10,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,129
+137 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 349 places
2020
#10,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,992
-137 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,949 | 2,992 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,298 | 3,129 | 1.06 | +137 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 349 places |
| 2020 | #10,248 | 2,992 | 1.00 | -137 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 50 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 Myhre 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 | #10,298 | #10,248 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,129 | 2,992 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.00 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Myhre bearers went from 3,129 to 2,992 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,298 to #10,248.
FAQ
Myhre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Myhre?
Name Census estimates that about 3,431 living Americans carry the surname Myhre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,899 residents.
How common is Myhre?
Myhre ranks #10,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,992 people with the surname Myhre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Myhre.
Has Myhre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Myhre went from 3,129 recorded bearers to 2,992. That is a decrease of 137 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,298 to #10,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Myhre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Myhre, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Myhre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Myhre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Myhre (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 Myhre mean?
Derived from a Norwegian place name meaning "marshland" or "bog." 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 Myhre (1.00 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 common is the surname Myhre?
See how many people are called Myhre on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.