2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meisenholder
A surname of German origin meaning "birdkeeper" or "caretaker of nesting boxes".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Meisenholder. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meisenholder 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Meisenholder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meisenholder, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meisenholder
The surname Meisenholder is of German origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the region of Bavaria, where the name was first recorded in historical records. The name is derived from the German words "Meise," which means "titmouse" (a type of small bird), and "Holder," meaning "keeper" or "tender."
One of the earliest known references to the name Meisenholder can be found in the church records of the town of Regensburg, Bavaria, in the year 1594. These records mention a Johann Meisenholder, who was listed as a birdkeeper or aviary attendant for a local nobleman. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals who cared for and tended to bird aviaries or kept titmice as pets.
In the 17th century, the name began to appear in other regions of Germany, including Saxony and Württemberg. A notable figure from this era was Hans Meisenholder (1632-1701), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schmalkalden, Thuringia. His intricate and beautifully crafted clocks were highly sought after by nobility and the wealthy across Europe.
The 18th century saw the Meisenholder name spread further throughout German-speaking lands, with records showing families bearing the name in areas such as Alsace (then part of the Holy Roman Empire), Bavaria, and Saxony. One prominent individual from this period was Anna Maria Meisenholder (1728-1804), a respected botanist and herbalist from the city of Nuremberg. Her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and herbal remedies earned her widespread acclaim during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, as German immigration to the United States and other parts of the world increased, the Meisenholder name began to appear in various countries. Johann Meisenholder (1816-1892), a skilled cabinetmaker from Saxony, immigrated to the United States in 1846 and settled in Pennsylvania, where he established a successful furniture-making business that continued for generations.
Another notable figure from this era was Wilhelm Meisenholder (1837-1912), a German-born artist and painter who gained recognition for his vivid landscapes and portraits. His works were exhibited in prestigious galleries across Europe and can still be found in several prominent art collections today.
As the 20th century dawned, the Meisenholder name continued to be represented in various fields and professions. One example is Elise Meisenholder (1892-1976), a pioneering German physicist who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear fission and worked alongside renowned scientists like Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meisenholder
Among Census respondents with the surname Meisenholder, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meisenholder 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 Meisenholder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meisenholder
Meisenholder 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+8 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,293 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 1,293 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Meisenholder 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 | #146,201 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meisenholder bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Meisenholder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meisenholder?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Meisenholder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Meisenholder?
Meisenholder ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Meisenholder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Meisenholder.
Has Meisenholder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meisenholder went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Meisenholder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meisenholder, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Meisenholder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meisenholder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Meisenholder (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 Meisenholder mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "birdkeeper" or "caretaker of nesting boxes". 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 Meisenholder (0.03 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 common is the surname Meisenholder?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Meisenholder, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.