2010
#14,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Meh
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Meh, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,768 Americans carry the last name Meh. That puts it at #7,676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meh 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
4.8K
1 in 71,886
Census rank
#7,676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,158 bearers of the surname Meh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meh
Among Census respondents with the surname Meh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Meh 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 Meh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.8% · 4,065
- White1.0% · 40
- Black or African American0.8% · 35
- Two or more races0.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meh
Meh appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#7,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,158
+2,155 bearers (+107.6%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 7,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #14,806 | 2,003 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #7,676 | 4,158 | 1.39 | +2,155 bearers (+107.6%) | Up 7,130 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 Meh 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 | #14,806 | #7,676 | 48.2% |
| Count | 2,003 | 4,158 | 107.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 1.39 | 104.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meh bearers went from 2,003 to 4,158 (+107.6% change). The surname moved up 7,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,806 to #7,676.
FAQ
Meh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meh?
Name Census estimates that about 4,768 living Americans carry the surname Meh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,886 residents.
How common is Meh?
Meh ranks #7,676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,158 people with the surname Meh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Meh.
Has Meh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meh went from 2,003 recorded bearers to 4,158. That is an increase of 2,155 (+107.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,806 to #7,676.
What does the Census say about the background of Meh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Meh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.8% (4,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (97.8%), White (1.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Meh (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 Meh mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Meh, which existed during the Zhou dynasty. 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 Meh (1.39 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 Meh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.