The Gier surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,344 people carried this name — #19,955 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 217,400 people counted. That is down 9% from 1,479 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Gier surname
From Middle High German gir, from Old High German giri. The surname is from the noun, though it is also a Low German form of Geyer and in some personal name shortenings related to the ancient *gaiʀ (“spear”) as in Gerhardt.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gier» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 96 people named Gier.
9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 16 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
82 people named Gier have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 139 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 43 people named Gier live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
22 people named Gier live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Appenzell Innerrhoden.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
Who carried it
People named Gier,
with a public archive behind them.
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Wilhelm Gier 1867–1951 · Catholic priest
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Leland Jacob Gier 1904–1983 · botanist
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Renate Gier 1942– · teacher
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Nicholas F. Gier 1944– · university teacher
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Helmut Gier 1947– · librarian
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Albert Gier 1953– · university teacher
Wikidata (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Gier.
- Giberti 161 · U.S. census
- Giblin 2,794 · U.S. census
- Gibson 190,667 · U.S. census
- Gidel 121 · U.S. census
- Giel 430 · U.S. census
- Gielen 113 · U.S. census
- Gies 1,719 · U.S. census
- Giess 148 · U.S. census
- Gigandet 176 · U.S. census
- Gigante 1,116 · U.S. census
- Giger 984 · U.S. census
- Gigli 179 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Gier is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.