2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Myrah
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly a variation of the French name Mira or Myra.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Myrah. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Myrah 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Myrah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Myrah, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Myrah
The surname MYRAH is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in the region of Scotland. It is thought to have derived from an old Scottish Gaelic word "mòr," which means "great" or "large." The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname MYRAH was John Myrah, who was born in the village of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, in the year 1578. Records indicate that he was a landowner and farmer in the area.
In the late 17th century, the name MYRAH appeared in the historical records of the town of Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. A man named Robert Myrah was listed as a merchant and trader in the town's records from the year 1692.
The MYRAH surname has also been recorded in various historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries in other parts of Scotland, such as Aberdeen, Fife, and the Highlands. Some notable individuals bearing the name include:
1. William Myrah (1723-1798), a Scottish farmer and landowner from the village of Dunkeld, Perthshire.
2. Margaret Myrah (1756-1832), a Scottish author and poet from Edinburgh.
3. James Myrah (1798-1872), a Scottish soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. David Myrah (1825-1901), a Scottish businessman and entrepreneur from Glasgow.
5. Elizabeth Myrah (1842-1917), a Scottish educator and advocate for women's rights, born in Inverness.
While the surname MYRAH is relatively uncommon, it has been found in various historical records across Scotland, suggesting that it has deep roots in the region and has been passed down through generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myrah
Among Census respondents with the surname Myrah, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Myrah 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 Myrah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 101
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Myrah
Myrah appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+8 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 9,507 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 Myrah 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 | #159,712 | #150,205 | 6.0% |
| Count | 101 | 109 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Myrah bearers went from 101 to 109 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 9,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #150,205.
FAQ
Myrah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Myrah?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Myrah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Myrah?
Myrah ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Myrah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Myrah.
Has Myrah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Myrah went from 101 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 8 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Myrah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Myrah, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Myrah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Myrah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Myrah (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 Myrah mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly a variation of the French name Mira or Myra. 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 Myrah (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 common is the surname Myrah?
See how many people have the last name Myrah on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.