Find out how popular the last name Mease is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mease.

Mease, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mease surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mease in America

Mease is the 12931st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mease surname appeared 2,376 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mease.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mease to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mease

The surname Mease originates from the Old English word "mæse," which means "small." It is believed to have first appeared in the region of Sussex, England, during the 11th century. The name was likely used as a descriptive term for someone of small stature or a younger sibling.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Mese" in the county of Sussex. This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name evolved into various spellings, such as "Meese," "Mees," and "Mease." These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.

In the 14th century, records show a Walter Mease living in Warwickshire, England. He was a landowner and is mentioned in several legal documents from that period. Another notable bearer of the name was John Mease, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 16th century.

As the name spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles. In Scotland, there is a record of a Robert Mease who served as a baillie (magistrate) in the town of Ayr in the early 17th century.

One of the most prominent figures with the surname Mease was Sir Robert Mease, an English soldier and politician who lived from 1668 to 1743. He served as a Member of Parliament and played a significant role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715.

Another notable individual was William Mease, an American physician and naturalist who was born in 1765 and died in 1836. He made significant contributions to the study of natural history and was a member of the American Philosophical Society.

In the 19th century, a family of Meases became prominent in the United States. Rodney Mease (1803-1883) was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Philadelphia, while his brother James Mease (1808-1881) was a prominent lawyer and judge in the same city.

The surname Mease can also be traced back to places like Meas in Normandy, France, and Mees in the Netherlands, suggesting that the name may have had multiple origins or was adopted by different families in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mease

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mease.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mease was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mease has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mease was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mease, please contact us.

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