2000
#8,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Meisner
A surname of German origin referring to a knife maker or cutler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,759 Americans carry the last name Meisner. That puts it at #9,489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meisner 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
3.8K
1 in 91,182
Census rank
#9,489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,278 bearers of the surname Meisner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meisner
The surname Meisner originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Meister," meaning "master" or "skilled artisan," suggesting that it may have initially been an occupational surname for a master craftsman or skilled worker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meisner surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, where a certain "Hermannus Meysnere" is mentioned in a document dated 1284. This early spelling variation, "Meysnere," highlights the name's evolution over time.
In the 14th century, the Meisner surname appears in various historical records across German-speaking regions, including the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch (Württemberg historical records) from 1337, where a "Conrad Meisner" is mentioned.
During the 16th century, the Meisner name gained prominence with the birth of Michael Meisner (1497-1566), a German Reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another notable figure with the Meisner surname was Daniel Meisner (1585-1625), a German artist and engraver known for his intricate calligraphic works and illustrations. His engravings were widely distributed throughout Europe and are considered valuable artifacts in the study of early modern European art and typography.
In the 18th century, Johann Heinrich Meisner (1718-1782) was a German Lutheran theologian and writer who authored several influential works on theology and philosophy. His most notable work, "Philosophia Sacra," published in 1761, explored the relationship between reason and revelation in Christian theology.
Moving into the 19th century, Ernst Meisner (1826-1895) was a German botanist and taxonomist who made significant contributions to the study of plant classification. He published numerous works on the flora of Central and South America, including his seminal work, "Plantarum Vascularium Genera," which remains a valuable reference for botanists and plant taxonomists.
Throughout its history, the Meisner surname has been associated with various place names and geographic locations within Germany, such as Meisner (a village in Saxony-Anhalt), Meisnerberg (a mountain range in Hesse), and Meisnerstadt (a town in Bavaria), further reinforcing the name's deep roots in German culture and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meisner
Among Census respondents with the surname Meisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Meisner 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 Meisner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,038
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 109
- Two or more races3.0% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meisner
Meisner 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
#9,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,454
+69 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 519 places
2020
#9,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,278
-176 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,896 | 3,385 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,415 | 3,454 | 1.17 | +69 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 519 places |
| 2020 | #9,489 | 3,278 | 1.10 | -176 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 74 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 Meisner 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 | #9,415 | #9,489 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,454 | 3,278 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.10 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meisner bearers went from 3,454 to 3,278 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,415 to #9,489.
FAQ
Meisner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meisner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,759 living Americans carry the surname Meisner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,182 residents.
How common is Meisner?
Meisner ranks #9,489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,278 people with the surname Meisner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Meisner.
Has Meisner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meisner went from 3,454 recorded bearers to 3,278. That is a decrease of 176 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,415 to #9,489.
What does the Census say about the background of Meisner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Meisner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meisner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Meisner (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 Meisner mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a knife maker or cutler. 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 Meisner (1.10 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 Meisner?
If you just want to know how common the surname Meisner is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.