Explore the Family Name Meer
The meaning of Meer
1. North German; Dutch (Van der Meer): topographic name for someone who lived by a body of water, Middle Dutch mere, Middle Low German mere, mer ‘lake’. Compare Vandermeer. 2. English (mainly Warwickshire and Staffordshire): variant of Mear. 3. Muslim (mainly Pakistan, also common elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent): variant of Mir. 4. Jewish: variant of Meyer 2. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Shahid, Zaheer, Bashir, Faisal, Naima, Sayed, Syed, Wahab, Waqar.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Meer in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Meer has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 31,301 in popularity and this fell to 33,241 by 2010, marking a 6.2% decline. The actual count of individuals with this surname also decreased during this decade from 700 to 688, representing a slight decrease of 1.71%. The proportion of the Meer surname per 100,000 people also dropped by 11.54%, moving from 0.26 to 0.23.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,301 | #33,241 | -6.2% |
| Count | 700 | 688 | -1.71% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.26 | 0.23 | -11.54% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Meer
Based on the ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, it's evident that the majority of people bearing the Meer surname identify as White - accounting for 86.71% in 2000 and 78.49% in 2010. However, there is a significant increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, rising by 108.63% from 8.57% in 2000 to 17.88% in 2010. Those identifying as having two or more ethnicities saw a decrease from 3.29% to 1.16%, a reduction of 64.74%. The proportion of Meer individuals identifying as Hispanic had increased to 1.45% by 2010 from zero in 2000. Meanwhile, the percentage of Black individuals bearing the Meer surname decreased to zero in 2010 from 0.71% in 2000. There were no reported Meer individuals identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.71% | 78.49% | -9.48% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 8.57% | 17.88% | 108.63% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.45% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 3.29% | 1.16% | -64.74% |
| Black | 0.71% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |