# Muir (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/muir/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Scots.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 11,130 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,245 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 27,740 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.5% (10,863 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /mɪɚ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Scots muir (“moor”). A derivation from Scottish Gaelic muir (“ocean”) has also been suggested.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Muir in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 88% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 5.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Muir in the United States and New Zealand.

## People named Muir

- Jean Muir, American actress and educator (1911–1996)
- David Muir, American broadcast journalist (born 1973)
- Mike Muir, American singer
- Gavin Muir, American actor (1900-1972)
- Tamsyn Muir, author of fantasy, science fiction, and horror; most notably Gideon the Ninth
- Esther Muir, American actress (1903-1995)

## Similar surnames

Murry, Muro, Mier, Mire, Murr, Mair, Mir, Moir, Mira, Miura, Miró, Meir.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.