Explore the Family Name Bayer
The meaning of Bayer
1. German, Scandinavian, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from Bavaria (German Bayern). This region of southern Germany derives its name from that of the Celtic tribe of the Boii who once inhabited this area. They were displaced in the 6th century ad by an ancient Germanic people, the Boioarii or Baiuarii, whose name is derived from that of their Celtic predecessors. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine), Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland. Compare Beyer and Payer. 2. English (Lincolnshire): occupational name for a maker of baize cloth, from an agent derivative of Old French baies, Middle English bayes (from the adjective bai ‘reddish-brown, bay’), probably so called because of its original color. This material was said to have been introduced into Britain by immigrants from France and the Netherlands in the 16th century, but the word certainly appears much earlier in English. The surname may also be topographic denoting a ‘dweller by the bend’, from an agent derivative of Old English bēag ‘bend’. 3. Dutch: variant of Baijer, a cognate of 1 above. Some characteristic forenames: German Helmut, Kurt, Otto, Klaus, Manfred, Bernd, Bernhard, Erwin, Franz, Hans, Johann, Juergen.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bayer in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Bayer has seen a growth in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname improved from 3,529th place in 2000 to 3,389th in 2010, an increase of approximately 4%. Moreover, the count of individuals with the Bayer surname grew by 14.04% during the same period, from 9,246 to 10,544. This suggests that for every 100,000 people in the U.S., there were about 3.57 individuals named Bayer in 2010, up from 3.43 in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,529 | #3,389 | 3.97% |
| Count | 9,246 | 10,544 | 14.04% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.43 | 3.57 | 4.08% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bayer
Turning our focus towards ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with the surname Bayer identified as White, although this proportion decreased slightly from 96.19% in 2000 to 94.79% in 2010. Notably, the proportions of those identifying as Hispanic and Black saw significant increases, with a 61.99% rise in Hispanic identification and a 58.14% uptick in Black identification. The percentage of Bayers identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander remained fairly stable at around 0.71%, while those identifying as two or more races increased by 12.05%. Interestingly, the proportion who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native fell by 15.38%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.19% | 94.79% | -1.46% |
| Hispanic | 1.71% | 2.77% | 61.99% |
| Two or More Races | 0.83% | 0.93% | 12.05% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.7% | 0.71% | 1.43% |
| Black | 0.43% | 0.68% | 58.14% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.13% | 0.11% | -15.38% |
Bayer ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Bayer is French & German, which comprises 34.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (27.7%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (10.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Filipino & Austronesian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 34.4% |
| British & Irish | 27.7% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 10.6% |
| Other | 27.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Bayer
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bayer have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 64.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 64.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 64.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 64.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 64.00% |
What Bayer haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bayer is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schafer, Ernst, Kline, Schumacher, Baker, Schmitt, Schmidt, Keller, Miller, Hoffmann.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bayer surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Bayer have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Bayer" Surname 40.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Bayer" Surname 31.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bayer" Surname 18.5%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Bayer" Surname 19.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bayer?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Bayer are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition