2000
#13,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,993
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Styer
An occupational surname for a person who manufactures or sells climbing stirrups or ladders.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,156 Americans carry the last name Styer. That puts it at #15,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Styer 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
2.2K
1 in 158,977
Census rank
#15,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,880 bearers of the surname Styer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Styer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Styer
The surname Styer has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Stiur," which means "steer" or "bull." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a cattle herder or farmer.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Styer can be found in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt, where a family by the name of Stiur is documented in records dating back to the 14th century. In the nearby town of Nuremberg, a variation of the name, "Stürer," is also found in local records from the same time period.
As the name spread across various regions of Germany, it underwent slight spelling variations, such as Stier, Styr, and Stürer. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Styer (1477-1533) was a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, which included woodcuts and engravings, were highly regarded and contributed to the artistic legacy of the Renaissance.
Another individual of note was Johann Styer (1588-1653), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. His compositions, which included sacred and secular works, were influential in the development of German Baroque music.
In the 18th century, a prominent military figure named Friedrich Wilhelm von Styer (1724-1803) served as a Prussian general during the Seven Years' War. He was known for his tactical skills and played a significant role in several battles against the Austrian and Russian forces.
Moving forward to the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Styer (1816-1892), a German theologian and professor of church history at the University of Giessen. His scholarly works on early Christianity and the Reformation were widely respected and contributed to the field of religious studies.
Another 19th-century figure was Carl Styer (1838-1907), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Philadelphia, including the Masonic Temple and the Academy of Natural Sciences. His work played a significant role in shaping the architectural landscape of the city during the late 19th century.
It's worth noting that the name Styer has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Stierhagen, Stierwalde, and Stierkopf, further reinforcing its connection to the German language and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Styer
Among Census respondents with the surname Styer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Styer 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 Styer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,707
- Black or African American3.3% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 52
- Two or more races2.6% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Styer
Styer 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
#14,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,993
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 966 places
2020
#15,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,880
-113 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,896 | 1,993 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,862 | 1,993 | 0.68 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 966 places |
| 2020 | #15,069 | 1,880 | 0.63 | -113 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 207 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 Styer 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 | #14,862 | #15,069 | -1.4% |
| Count | 1,993 | 1,880 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.63 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Styer bearers went from 1,993 to 1,880 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 207 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,862 to #15,069.
FAQ
Styer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Styer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,156 living Americans carry the surname Styer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,977 residents.
How common is Styer?
Styer ranks #15,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,880 people with the surname Styer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Styer.
Has Styer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Styer went from 1,993 recorded bearers to 1,880. That is a decrease of 113 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,862 to #15,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Styer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Styer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Hispanic (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 Styer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Styer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Black (3.3%), Hispanic (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 Styer (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 Styer mean?
An occupational surname for a person who manufactures or sells climbing stirrups or ladders. 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 Styer (0.63 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 Styer?
If you just want to know how common the surname Styer is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.