2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Surmeier
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Zur Meier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Surmeier. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surmeier 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Surmeier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surmeier
The surname SURMEIER is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the late medieval period or the Renaissance era, around the 15th or 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "surm" or "surem," which means "sour" or "acidic," possibly referring to a person involved in the production or trade of vinegar or sour wines.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SURMEIER name can be found in the parish records of the town of Wittgenstein, in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. The name was also found in various other regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony, during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Johann SURMEIER (1657-1722) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Cologne. He was known for his successful wine trade and his philanthropic contributions to the local community.
Another notable bearer of the SURMEIER name was Friedrich SURMEIER (1788-1862), a German philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Heidelberg. He was renowned for his work on moral philosophy and his advocacy for educational reform.
During the 19th century, the SURMEIER name began to spread beyond Germany, with some individuals migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the United States. One such individual was Hans SURMEIER (1825-1901), who emigrated from Bavaria to Wisconsin in the late 1840s and became a successful farmer and landowner.
In the early 20th century, a notable figure named Gerhard SURMEIER (1891-1967) was a German physicist who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. He worked alongside renowned physicists such as Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg.
Another prominent individual with the SURMEIER surname was Margarete SURMEIER (1912-2002), a German artist and sculptor known for her abstract and modern art pieces. Her works were exhibited in galleries throughout Europe and the United States.
While the SURMEIER name has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this surname making significant contributions in various fields, including commerce, education, science, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surmeier
Among Census respondents with the surname Surmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Surmeier 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 Surmeier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 109
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surmeier
Surmeier 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+12 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,452 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 2,452 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Surmeier 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surmeier bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Surmeier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surmeier?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Surmeier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Surmeier?
Surmeier ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Surmeier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Surmeier.
Has Surmeier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surmeier went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Surmeier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Surmeier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surmeier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Black (3.4%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Surmeier (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 Surmeier mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Zur Meier. 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 Surmeier (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 many people share the surname Surmeier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.