Mendelssohn
An ornamental surname meaning "son of Mendel" in German.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 103 Americans carry the last name Mendelssohn. That puts it at #157,234 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,327,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendelssohn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
103
1 in 3,327,712
Census rank
#157,234
2010 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 Mendelssohn in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 157234th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendelssohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendelssohn
The surname Mendelssohn originated in Germany during the 18th century. It is a compound surname derived from the Hebrew words "Mendel" and "Sohn," meaning "son of Mendel." Mendel was a common Jewish given name, and the addition of "Sohn" was a German practice to indicate a patronymic surname.
In the early 19th century, the Mendelssohn family was among the first Jewish families in Germany to adopt a permanent surname, as required by the Prussian Emancipation Edict of 1812. This law mandated that Jews take on fixed surnames, leading many to choose names influenced by their given names or professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mendelssohn surname can be found in the birth records of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786), who was born in Dessau, Germany. He was a prominent figure of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) movement and a respected writer and philosopher.
The most famous bearer of the Mendelssohn surname was Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), a renowned German composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Hamburg and is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the Romantic era, known for works such as the Violin Concerto in E minor and the Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Another notable Mendelssohn was Abraham Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1776-1835), a German-Jewish banker and philosopher who was the father of Felix Mendelssohn. He played a crucial role in the family's conversion to Protestantism and added the surname "Bartholdy" to their name, creating the combined surname Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
Kurt Mendelssohn (1859-1919) was a German chemist who made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and is remembered for his work on the Mendelssohn rearrangement reaction.
Walter Mendelssohn (1926-2021) was a German-American physicist and engineer who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II and later became a prominent advocate for nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The Mendelssohn surname has a rich history rooted in Jewish and German heritage, and its bearers have made notable contributions across various fields, including philosophy, music, science, and finance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendelssohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendelssohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%.
The bar chart below shows how Mendelssohn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Mendelssohn surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2%
Year on year
2010 vs 2010 Census
How has the Mendelssohn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #157,234 | 0.0% |
| Count | 103 | 103 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Mendelssohn bearers went from 103 to 103 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #157,234.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mendelssohn
FAQ
Mendelssohn surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Mendelssohn?
The surname Mendelssohn holds position #157,234 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 103 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Mendelssohn surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendelssohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.