2000
#7,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Meissner
An occupational surname referring to a knife maker or cutler, derived from the Middle High German word "mezzer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,433 Americans carry the last name Meissner. That puts it at #8,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meissner 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
4.4K
1 in 77,319
Census rank
#8,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,866 bearers of the surname Meissner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meissner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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mentioned in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, which houses an extensive collection of historical documents from various regions of Europe.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meissner
Among Census respondents with the surname Meissner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meissner 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 Meissner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,532
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 139
- Two or more races2.7% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meissner
Meissner 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
#8,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,097
-19 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 636 places
2020
#8,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,866
-231 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,457 | 4,116 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,093 | 4,097 | 1.39 | -19 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 636 places |
| 2020 | #8,203 | 3,866 | 1.29 | -231 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 110 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 Meissner 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 | #8,093 | #8,203 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,097 | 3,866 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.29 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meissner bearers went from 4,097 to 3,866 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,093 to #8,203.
FAQ
Meissner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meissner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,433 living Americans carry the surname Meissner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,319 residents.
How common is Meissner?
Meissner ranks #8,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,866 people with the surname Meissner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Meissner.
Has Meissner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meissner went from 4,097 recorded bearers to 3,866. That is a decrease of 231 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,093 to #8,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Meissner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meissner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Meissner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,532 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meissner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Meissner (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 Meissner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a knife maker or cutler, derived from the Middle High German word "mezzer". 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 Meissner (1.29 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 Americans have the surname Meissner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.