2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vorreyer
A German surname derived from a term meaning "one who travels ahead" or "forerunner".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Vorreyer. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vorreyer 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Vorreyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vorreyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vorreyer
The surname VORREYER has its origins in Germany, and is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "vorreiter," which means "outrider" or "scout." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with individuals who served as scouts or outriders in military or feudal contexts.
One of the earliest known references to the VORREYER name can be found in the Weissenburger Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the Weissenburg region in present-day Bavaria, Germany. This record dates back to the year 1492 and mentions a certain Hanns Vorreyer, who was a landowner and resident of the village of Günzburg.
Another notable early reference to the VORREYER name comes from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. The town's historical records from the 16th century include entries related to a family by the name of Vorreyer, who were involved in various trades and professions within the town's walls.
As the name spread throughout different regions of Germany over the centuries, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some of the documented historical spellings include Vorreier, Forreyer, and Vorreyer, among others.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the VORREYER name was Hans Vorreyer, born in 1587 in the town of Bamberg, Germany. He was a renowned goldsmith and metalworker, known for his intricate and skillful craftsmanship.
Another notable figure was Johann Vorreyer (1622-1696), a Lutheran theologian and author from the city of Nuremberg. He wrote several influential works on theology and religious philosophy during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, a prominent VORREYER was Carl Friedrich Vorreyer (1725-1802), a German architect and urban planner who was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several notable buildings and urban developments in various cities across Germany.
The 19th century saw the rise of Friedrich Vorreyer (1818-1892), a German businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in the region of Saxony.
Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the VORREYER surname was Margarethe Vorreyer (1878-1962), a German educator and women's rights activist who campaigned tirelessly for equal educational opportunities for women in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vorreyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Vorreyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vorreyer 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 Vorreyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vorreyer
Vorreyer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 1,229 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 Vorreyer 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 | #157,234 | #156,005 | 0.8% |
| Count | 103 | 99 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vorreyer bearers went from 103 to 99 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 1,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,005.
FAQ
Vorreyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vorreyer?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Vorreyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Vorreyer?
Vorreyer ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Vorreyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Vorreyer.
Has Vorreyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vorreyer went from 103 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Vorreyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vorreyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Vorreyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vorreyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Vorreyer (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 Vorreyer mean?
A German surname derived from a term meaning "one who travels ahead" or "forerunner". 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 Vorreyer (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 Americans have the surname Vorreyer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.