2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Medsger
A surname believed to have originated as an occupational name referring to a physician or healer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Medsger. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medsger 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Medsger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medsger, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medsger
The surname Medsger is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots tracing back to the early 16th century. It is likely derived from the German word "Messer," which means "knife" or "dagger," suggesting a possible connection to a profession or trade involving metalwork or weaponry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Medsger surname can be found in the town of Dortmund, located in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In a document dated 1537, a certain Hans Medsger is mentioned as a resident of the town, indicating that the name was already in use during this period.
In the late 16th century, the Medsger name appeared in various records across several German states, including Bavaria and Saxony. This suggests that families bearing this surname had begun to spread out and establish themselves in different regions.
The earliest known person of note with the Medsger surname was Johann Medsger, who lived from 1612 to 1684 and was a prominent silversmith in the city of Nuremberg, renowned for his intricate and ornate creations.
Another notable figure was Christoph Medsger (1665-1738), a master clockmaker from the town of Augsburg, whose timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
As the centuries progressed, the Medsger surname continued to be found in various German regions, with some families eventually migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas.
One such individual was Friedrich Medsger (1781-1853), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the early 19th century. He became a successful farmer and landowner, contributing to the growth of the German-American community in that region.
In the late 19th century, Wilhelm Medsger (1852-1920) was a prominent architect in Berlin, responsible for designing several iconic buildings that still stand today, including the Reichstag building and the Berlin Cathedral.
Throughout its history, the Medsger surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Metsger, Medzger, and Metzger, reflecting the regional dialects and differences in record-keeping practices across different areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medsger
Among Census respondents with the surname Medsger, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Medsger 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 Medsger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medsger
Medsger 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,607 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,900 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,607 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,900 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 Medsger 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 | #149,395 | #146,495 | 1.9% |
| Count | 110 | 114 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medsger bearers went from 110 to 114 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,900 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #146,495.
FAQ
Medsger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medsger?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Medsger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Medsger?
Medsger ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Medsger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Medsger.
Has Medsger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medsger went from 110 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Medsger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medsger, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Medsger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medsger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Medsger (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 Medsger mean?
A surname believed to have originated as an occupational name referring to a physician or healer. 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 Medsger (0.04 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 are called Medsger?
Want to know how many people have the surname Medsger? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.