2000
#12,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Messing
A surname of German origin, derived from the word "messing," meaning brass, likely referring to a brass worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,181 Americans carry the last name Messing. That puts it at #14,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Messing 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,155
Census rank
#14,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,902 bearers of the surname Messing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Messing, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Messing
The surname Messing originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic word "meisner," meaning a person from the city of Meissen, located in the present-day German state of Saxony. Alternatively, some sources suggest that the name may have originated from the occupation of a maker or seller of measures, which was known as a "messer" in Middle German.
The earliest recorded mention of the Messing surname can be found in the town records of Meissen, dating back to the year 1348. These records document a certain "Johannes Messing," who was a prominent citizen and landowner in the area. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, including tax records and church registers from the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the 16th century, the Messing surname began to spread beyond the borders of Saxony, with individuals bearing the name appearing in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Johann Messing (1516-1590), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in the region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Messing surname gained further prominence, with several individuals achieving notable success in various fields. One such individual was Adam Messing (1647-1720), a German architect and engineer who was responsible for the design of several important buildings in the city of Dresden.
Another notable figure was Johann Georg Messing (1733-1807), a German composer and organist who was renowned for his contributions to the development of sacred music in the late Baroque and early Classical periods.
In the 19th century, the Messing surname continued to be well-represented in various areas of German society. One prominent individual from this period was Friedrich Messing (1835-1918), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Messing Werke, a successful manufacturing company that produced a wide range of metal products.
As migration patterns increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Messing surname began to spread further afield, with individuals bearing the name settling in various parts of Europe, as well as in North America and other regions of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Messing
Among Census respondents with the surname Messing, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Messing 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 Messing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 1,724
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 92
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Messing
Messing 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
#12,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,530
+150 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 252 places
2020
#14,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
-628 bearers (-24.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 2,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,037 | 2,380 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,289 | 2,530 | 0.86 | +150 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 252 places |
| 2020 | #14,931 | 1,902 | 0.64 | -628 bearers (-24.8%) | Down 2,642 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 Messing 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 | #12,289 | #14,931 | -21.5% |
| Count | 2,530 | 1,902 | -24.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.64 | -26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Messing bearers went from 2,530 to 1,902 (-24.8% change). The surname moved down 2,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,289 to #14,931.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Messing
FAQ
Messing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Messing?
Name Census estimates that about 2,181 living Americans carry the surname Messing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,155 residents.
How common is Messing?
Messing ranks #14,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,902 people with the surname Messing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Messing.
Has Messing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Messing went from 2,530 recorded bearers to 1,902. That is a decrease of 628 (-24.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,289 to #14,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Messing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Messing, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Messing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (1,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Messing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Messing (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 Messing mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the word "messing," meaning brass, likely referring to a brass worker. 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 Messing (0.64 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 Messing?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.