2000
#10,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Suhr
A German occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,031 Americans carry the last name Suhr. That puts it at #11,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suhr 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
3.0K
1 in 113,083
Census rank
#11,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,643 bearers of the surname Suhr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suhr, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suhr
The surname SUHR is of German origin, originating in the region of Westphalia, which is now part of modern-day North Rhine-Westphalia in northwestern Germany. The name can be traced back to the early 13th century, when it was likely derived from the old Germanic word "suhri," which means "swine-herd" or "swineherd."
SUHR is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, referring to individuals who were employed as swineherds or those who tended to and managed herds of swine. This occupation was particularly common in rural areas, where pig farming was a significant part of the agricultural economy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SUHR can be found in the Westphalian Saalbuch (Rent Book) of 1295, which documented land transactions and tenant names in the region. The name is also mentioned in various medieval tax records and local court documents from the 14th and 15th centuries.
During the Middle Ages, the name SUHR was primarily concentrated in the regions of Westphalia and Lower Saxony, but over time, it spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries as people migrated and settled in new areas.
Notable individuals with the surname SUHR throughout history include:
1. Johann Suhr (1525-1589), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Westphalia.
2. Johann Gottfried Suhr (1690-1758), a German baroque composer and organist, known for his church music compositions.
3. Friedrich Suhr (1770-1835), a German painter and illustrator renowned for his landscapes and genre paintings.
4. Johann Nikolaus von Suhr (1781-1848), a Prussian military officer and statesman who served as the Governor of Silesia from 1837 to 1848.
5. Johann Andreas Benignus Bergius Suhr (1827-1889), a Danish botanist and mycologist who made significant contributions to the study of algae and fungi.
The name SUHR has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Suhrau (now part of Bochum) and Suhrmühle (a mill near Arnsberg), further cementing its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suhr
Among Census respondents with the surname Suhr, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Suhr 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 Suhr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 2,338
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 100
- Two or more races2.8% · 74
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suhr
Suhr 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
#11,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,717
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 782 places
2020
#11,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,643
-74 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,790 | 2,714 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,572 | 2,717 | 0.92 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 782 places |
| 2020 | #11,401 | 2,643 | 0.88 | -74 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 171 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 Suhr 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 | #11,572 | #11,401 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,717 | 2,643 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.88 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suhr bearers went from 2,717 to 2,643 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,572 to #11,401.
FAQ
Suhr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suhr?
Name Census estimates that about 3,031 living Americans carry the surname Suhr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,083 residents.
How common is Suhr?
Suhr ranks #11,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,643 people with the surname Suhr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Suhr.
Has Suhr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suhr went from 2,717 recorded bearers to 2,643. That is a decrease of 74 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,572 to #11,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Suhr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suhr, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Suhr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (2,338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suhr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Suhr (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 Suhr mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler. 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 Suhr (0.88 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 Suhr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.