Explore the Family Name Birr

The meaning of Birr

German: 1. from a short form of the personal name Pirmin, the name of an 8th-century Christian saint, a bishop who founded several monasteries in southern Germany, or perhaps from an altered form of the French personal name Pierre (see Peter). 2. nickname or metonymic occupational name from Middle High German bir ‘pear’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Birr in the United States?

According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Birr decreased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 22,949th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to the 25,255th position, indicating a decrease in popularity by approximately 10.05%. The number of individuals bearing the surname also fell over this period, dropping from 1,041 in 2000 to 981 in 2010, a decline of about 5.76%. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 decreased by 15.38% over the ten years.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#22,949	#25,255	-10.05%
Count	1,041	981	-5.76%
Proportion per 100k	0.39	0.33	-15.38%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Birr

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides information on the ethnicity of those with the Birr surname. In 2000 and 2010, the majority of Birrs identified as White, although this figure slightly decreased from 94.43% to 93.58%. The percentage of Birrs identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those reporting two or more races increased by 15.65% and 15.09%, respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals with the Birr surname who identify as Hispanic slightly decreased from 2.79% to 2.75%. No Birrs identified as Black, American Indian, or Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	94.43%	93.58%	-0.9%
Hispanic	2.79%	2.75%	-1.43%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.15%	1.33%	15.65%
Two or More Races	1.06%	1.22%	15.09%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%