2000
#4,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,861
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.54
Rare Last name
Salyer
Derived from German "Saller," an occupational name for a maker or seller of rope or string.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,555 Americans carry the last name Salyer. That puts it at #5,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,368 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salyer 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
7.6K
1 in 45,368
Census rank
#5,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,588 bearers of the surname Salyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salyer
The surname Salyer has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "salor," which meant a maker or seller of salt. The name was likely an occupational surname given to those who worked in the salt trade or produced salt.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are records of individuals with the surname Salyer or variations like Salere and Salier. These early records indicate that the name was prevalent in regions known for salt production, such as Cheshire and Staffordshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Salyer can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1195, where a certain Richard le Salyer is mentioned. This spelling variation, with the addition of the Norman French prefix "le," suggests that the name had become well-established in England by the late 12th century.
During the 13th century, the surname Salyer was also associated with certain place names, such as Salyers Brook in Staffordshire and Salyers Close in Shropshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Salyer surname who resided in or owned these locations.
One notable figure with the surname Salyer was Sir John Salyer, who lived in the 15th century and served as the Sheriff of Shropshire in 1459. Another prominent individual was William Salyer (1510-1578), a wealthy merchant from Bristol who played a significant role in the city's salt trade.
In the 16th century, the surname Salyer appeared in various spellings, including Salier, Saler, and Saylor, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. One example is Thomas Saylor (1545-1612), a wealthy landowner from Gloucestershire.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Salyer continued to be associated with individuals from various walks of life, including Sir William Salyer (1670-1734), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Shropshire.
While the surname Salyer has its roots in England, it eventually spread to other parts of the world through migration and the British colonial expansion. Today, the name can be found in various countries, although its origins can be traced back to the salt-making and trading industries of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Salyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Salyer 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 Salyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 6,036
- Two or more races3.6% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 200
- Black or African American0.8% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salyer
Salyer 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
#5,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,926
+65 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 334 places
2020
#5,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,588
-338 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,730 | 6,861 | 2.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,064 | 6,926 | 2.35 | +65 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 334 places |
| 2020 | #5,135 | 6,588 | 2.20 | -338 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 71 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 Salyer 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 | #5,064 | #5,135 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,926 | 6,588 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.35 | 2.20 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salyer bearers went from 6,926 to 6,588 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,064 to #5,135.
FAQ
Salyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salyer?
Name Census estimates that about 7,555 living Americans carry the surname Salyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,368 residents.
How common is Salyer?
Salyer ranks #5,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,588 people with the surname Salyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Salyer.
Has Salyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salyer went from 6,926 recorded bearers to 6,588. That is a decrease of 338 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,064 to #5,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Salyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Salyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (6,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Salyer (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 Salyer mean?
Derived from German "Saller," an occupational name for a maker or seller of rope or string. 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 Salyer (2.20 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 Salyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.