2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sudmeier
A habitational name for someone from a place called Sudmeier or Sud Meier in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Sudmeier. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sudmeier 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Sudmeier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sudmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sudmeier
The surname SUDMEIER has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the old German word "sud," meaning south, and "meier," which referred to a steward or overseer of a manor or estate. Thus, the name likely denoted someone who was a manager or supervisor of a southern estate.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a Henricus Sudmeier in the year 1287. This indicates that the name was already in use in the region during that time period.
Another notable reference is in the Schwäbisches Wörterbuch, a dictionary of the Swabian dialect, which includes the word "Sudmeier" as a term used to describe a southern estate manager or overseer.
In the 16th century, a Caspar Sudmeier was recorded as a landowner and prominent citizen in the town of Memmingen, Bavaria. He is believed to have been born around 1520 and died in 1587.
During the 17th century, a Johann Sudmeier (1642-1711) was a respected scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen in Württemberg.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the name was Wilhelm Sudmeier (1721-1789), a merchant and trader who was involved in the lucrative spice trade between Germany and the Dutch East Indies.
Another significant historical figure was Amalie Sudmeier (1795-1872), a renowned author and poet from Saxony, who wrote numerous works of literature and poetry during the Romantic era.
The name SUDMEIER has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as Sudmeiersdorf, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, and Sudmeierstraße, a street name found in several German cities, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographic origins.
While the name SUDMEIER may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its historical roots can be traced back to the medieval period in Germany, where it was associated with the management and oversight of southern estates and manors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sudmeier
Among Census respondents with the surname Sudmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sudmeier 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 Sudmeier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 93
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sudmeier
Sudmeier 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Sudmeier 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sudmeier bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Sudmeier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sudmeier?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Sudmeier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Sudmeier?
Sudmeier ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Sudmeier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Sudmeier.
Has Sudmeier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sudmeier went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Sudmeier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sudmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Sudmeier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sudmeier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Sudmeier (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 Sudmeier mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place called Sudmeier or Sud Meier in Germany. 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 Sudmeier (0.03 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 share the surname Sudmeier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.