How common is the surname Muir?

11,130 people in the United States had the surname Muir in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 27,740 Americans. It ranked 3,245th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Muir?

Jean Muir, American actress and educator (1911–1996), followed by David Muir.

Where is the surname Muir most common?

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

Is the surname Muir getting more or less common?

More common. 10,863 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,130 in 2010, up 2.5%.

The surname Muir

A Scottish surname, carried by 11,130 people in the United States.

Pronounced /mɪɚ/ 1 syllable Soundex M600

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Muir is more common than 98% of them.

Origin

Scottish origin

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

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 11,130 people named Muir in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 27,740 Americans. That is up 2.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,863.

#3,245

rank among US surnames

11,130

people in 2010

3.8

per 100,000 Americans

+2.5%

change since 2000 (was #3,060)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,236	Boyles	11,156	27,675
#3,237	Camarena	11,154	27,680
#3,238	Moe	11,150	27,690
#3,239	Herzog	11,146	27,700
#3,240	Kiefer	11,141	27,713
#3,241	Ayres	11,139	27,718
#3,243	Amin	11,137	27,723

Who is named Muir

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

88% of people named Muir identified as white (not Hispanic), 5.8% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.1% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Muirs

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Jean Muir
American actress and educator (1911–1996)
David Muir
American broadcast journalist (born 1973)
Mike Muir
American singer, born 1963
Gavin Muir
American actor (1900-1972)
Tamsyn Muir
Author of fantasy, science fiction, and horror; most notably Gideon the Ninth, born 1985
Esther Muir
American actress (1903-1995)

Notable Muirs come mostly from the United States (5) and New Zealand (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Muir

Muir has the Soundex code M600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M600.

Questions

Where does the surname Muir come from?: From Scots muir (“moor”). A derivation from Scottish Gaelic muir (“ocean”) has also been suggested.
How common is the surname Muir?: 11,130 people in the United States had the surname Muir in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 27,740 Americans. It ranked 3,245th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Muir?: In the 2010 Census, 88% of people named Muir identified as white (not Hispanic), and 5.8% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Muir?: Jean Muir, American actress and educator (1911–1996), followed by David Muir.
Where is the surname Muir most common?: Wikidata records people named Muir in the United States and New Zealand.
How do you pronounce Muir?: Muir is /mɪɚ/, one syllable.
Is the surname Muir getting more or less common?: More common. 10,863 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,130 in 2010, up 2.5%.