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

Meissner, 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 Meissner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meissner in America

Meissner is the 8093rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meissner surname appeared 4,097 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 Meissner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meissner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Meissner

The surname Meissner originates from Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Meissner," which means a person from the town of Meissen in Saxony, Germany. This town was known for its porcelain production, and the surname may have been used to identify individuals who worked in this trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Meissner can be found in a document from the 14th century, where it appears as "Meyszner." This spelling variation reflects the regional dialects and orthographic practices of the time.

In the 15th century, the surname Meissner is mentioned in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, which houses an extensive collection of historical documents from various regions of Europe.

During the 16th century, the Meissner family was prominent in the city of Leipzig, where they were involved in the textile trade. Notable members of this family include Johannes Meissner (1513-1588), a renowned merchant, and his son, Friedrich Meissner (1545-1612), who served as a magistrate in the city.

In the 17th century, the Meissner surname appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original Saxony origins.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Meissner was Georg Meissner (1677-1758), a German historian and geographer who authored several works on the geography and history of his native Saxony.

In the 19th century, the Meissner family gained prominence in the field of science. August Gottlieb Meissner (1753-1807) was a German anatomist and physiologist who made significant contributions to the study of the nervous system. His nephew, Friedrich Ludwig Meissner (1796-1860), was also a respected anatomist and professor at the University of Göttingen.

Another noteworthy figure with the Meissner surname was Alfred Meissner (1822-1885), a German writer and literary critic who played a significant role in the development of German realism in literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meissner

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

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 Meissner was:

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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Meissner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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