Meh last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Meh

A Chinese surname derived from the state of Meh, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Meh, 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 Meh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meh in America

Meh is the 14806th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meh surname appeared 2,003 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 Meh.

The history of the last name Meh

The surname "Meh" has its origins in the Middle Ages, originating from the German word "meh" which translates to "more" or "greater." It first emerged in the region of Bavaria, in southern Germany, during the 13th century.

This surname can be traced back to the town of Mehring, located near the city of Augsburg. The name was likely derived from the place name, indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from this particular town or its surrounding areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Meh" can be found in the Augsburg Chronicle, a historical record dating back to the 15th century. This chronicle mentions a certain Hans Meh, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Augsburg during the late 1400s.

The name "Meh" also appears in some of the earliest German census records, such as the Nuremberg Tax Roll of 1497, which lists several families with this surname residing in the city at that time.

As the centuries passed, the name spread to other parts of Germany and eventually to neighboring countries. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname "Meh" was Johann Meh, a renowned theologian and scholar who taught at the University of Wittenberg from 1520 to 1565.

Another historical figure with this name was Margaretha Meh, a prominent figure in the German Reformation movement of the 16th century. She was born in 1505 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and played a significant role in spreading Protestant teachings throughout the region.

In the 17th century, the name "Meh" can be found in various records from the region of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. One notable individual from this time was Johann Friedrich Meh, a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Stuttgart from 1645 to 1675.

As the name spread beyond Germany, it also took on different spellings and variations. In the Netherlands, for instance, the surname is sometimes spelled as "Meeh" or "Meij," while in France it is occasionally rendered as "Méhé" or "Méhée."

Over the centuries, the surname "Meh" has been borne by numerous individuals across various professions and walks of life, from artists and writers to scientists and political figures. However, it remains most closely associated with its German roots and the rich history of the regions where it first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meh

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

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 Meh was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 1.95% 39
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.35% 27
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 93.76% 1,878
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.85% 37
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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.

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 Meh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Meh last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/meh-surname-popularity/.

"Meh last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/meh-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Meh last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/meh-surname-popularity/.

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