2000
#2,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.68
Uncommon Last name
Messina
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Messina in Sicily, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,940 Americans carry the last name Messina. That puts it at #2,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Messina surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Messina with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,588
Census rank
#2,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,156 bearers of the surname Messina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Messina, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Messina
The surname Messina is of Italian origin, derived from the name of the city of Messina, which is located on the island of Sicily. The city's name is thought to come from the ancient Greek word "Messene," meaning "in the middle" or "in the center," reflecting its location in the middle of the Strait of Messina.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Messina can be traced back to the 12th century in various Italian documents and records. It is believed that the surname was initially adopted by individuals who either lived in or had some connection to the city of Messina.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Messina was Guido Messina, a Sicilian nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He is mentioned in several historical records from that time period, including a document dated 1256 that references his role in a local dispute.
Another notable figure with the surname Messina was Pietro Messina, a Sicilian painter who lived in the 15th century. He is best known for his religious paintings and altarpieces, which can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
In the 16th century, the name Messina appears in several chronicles and records related to the Spanish conquest of Sicily. One such record mentions a soldier named Girolamo Messina, who fought against the Spanish forces during the 1516 rebellion in Messina.
During the 17th century, the surname Messina was associated with several members of the Sicilian nobility. One notable example is Giuseppe Messina, who was born in 1632 and served as a high-ranking official in the Sicilian government.
In the 18th century, the name Messina gained prominence with the birth of Filippo Messina (1731-1799), a renowned Sicilian sculptor and architect. He is best known for his work on several churches and palaces in Messina and other parts of Sicily.
Other notable individuals with the surname Messina include Antonio Messina (1845-1920), an Italian painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, and Francesco Messina (1900-1995), a Sicilian-American linguist and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Sicily.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Messina
Among Census respondents with the surname Messina, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Messina bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Messina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 11,030
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 698
- Two or more races2.4% · 291
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 79
- Black or African American0.4% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Messina
Messina appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,717
+91 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 4.31
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#2,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,156
-561 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.07
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,631 | 12,626 | 4.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,833 | 12,717 | 4.31 | +91 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #2,886 | 12,156 | 4.07 | -561 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 53 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Messina surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,833 | #2,886 | -1.9% |
| Count | 12,717 | 12,156 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.31 | 4.07 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Messina bearers went from 12,717 to 12,156 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,833 to #2,886.
FAQ
Messina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Messina?
Name Census estimates that about 13,940 living Americans carry the surname Messina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,588 residents.
How common is Messina?
Messina ranks #2,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,156 people with the surname Messina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Messina.
Has Messina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Messina went from 12,717 recorded bearers to 12,156. That is a decrease of 561 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,833 to #2,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Messina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Messina, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Messina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (11,030 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Messina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Messina (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Messina mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Messina in Sicily, Italy. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Messina (4.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Messina?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.