2000
#6,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,835
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Muth
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "muot," meaning "courage" or "spirit."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,408 Americans carry the last name Muth. That puts it at #6,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muth 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
5.4K
1 in 63,379
Census rank
#6,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,716 bearers of the surname Muth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muth
The surname MUTH is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "muot," which means "courage" or "spirit." This name likely originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the MUTH surname can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. In some areas, the name may have also been spelled as "Muht" or "Mut." It is possible that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who exhibited a courageous or spirited demeanor.
One of the earliest known bearers of the MUTH name was Johann Muth, a merchant who lived in Nuremberg in the late 15th century. His name appears in various trade records from that time period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the MUTH surname was Michael Muth, a Protestant theologian and reformer who was born in Saxony in 1519. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and was a follower of Martin Luther.
During the 17th century, the MUTH name was associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. One such individual was Johann Sebastian Muth, a German painter and engraver who was born in Frankfurt in 1633. His works were widely celebrated during his lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the MUTH surname was Johann Georg Muth, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1685 to 1758. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and published several influential works on celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the MUTH surname was Carl Muth, a German-American artist and painter who was born in Germany in 1867. He immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became known for his landscape and portrait paintings.
While the MUTH surname originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond as families migrated and settled in new regions. Over time, the name has become associated with various occupations, professions, and achievements, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bear this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muth
Among Census respondents with the surname Muth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Muth 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 Muth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 4,123
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 261
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 185
- Two or more races2.3% · 108
- Black or African American0.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muth
Muth 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
#6,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,054
+219 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 204 places
2020
#6,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,716
-338 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,477 | 4,835 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,681 | 5,054 | 1.71 | +219 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 204 places |
| 2020 | #6,866 | 4,716 | 1.58 | -338 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 185 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 Muth 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 | #6,681 | #6,866 | -2.8% |
| Count | 5,054 | 4,716 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.58 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muth bearers went from 5,054 to 4,716 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,681 to #6,866.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Muth
FAQ
Muth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muth?
Name Census estimates that about 5,408 living Americans carry the surname Muth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,379 residents.
How common is Muth?
Muth ranks #6,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,716 people with the surname Muth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,408), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Muth.
Has Muth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muth went from 5,054 recorded bearers to 4,716. That is a decrease of 338 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,681 to #6,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Muth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Muth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (4,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Muth (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 Muth mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "muot," meaning "courage" or "spirit." 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 Muth (1.58 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 Americans have the surname Muth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.