2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mensh
A surname derived from the German word "Mensch" meaning human or person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Mensh. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mensh 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Mensh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mensh, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mensh
The surname Mensh is believed to have originated in Germany, first appearing in records during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "mensch," meaning "human" or "person." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to someone with particularly admirable human qualities or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mensh surname can be found in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1587. In this record, a man named Hans Mensch is mentioned as a local merchant. It's possible that this early spelling variation, "Mensch," was later anglicized to the more modern "Mensh" form.
By the early 17th century, the Mensh name had spread to other regions of Germany, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. In the town of Freiberg, Saxony, a man named Johann Mensh is listed in a 1612 census as a local landowner.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals with the Mensh surname emerged. One such figure was Christoph Mensh (1628-1701), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig. Another was Johann Friedrich Mensh (1713-1786), a German composer and organist who was well-regarded for his church music compositions.
As the name continued to spread across Europe, it also began to appear in other countries. In the Netherlands, for instance, a man named Pieter Mensh is recorded as residing in Amsterdam in the late 1700s. Similarly, in England, a family by the name of Mensh is documented as living in the village of Stoke-on-Trent in the early 19th century.
One of the most notable figures with the Mensh surname was the German philosopher and writer, Friedrich Mensh (1837-1917). Born in Berlin, Mensh was a prominent figure in the German intellectual circles of his time and authored several influential works on philosophy and ethics.
Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the Mensh surname has persisted throughout history, with various individuals bearing this name making their mark across different fields and regions. From its origins as a descriptive surname in 16th century Germany to its later spread throughout Europe, the name Mensh has endured as a testament to its rich historical lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mensh
Among Census respondents with the surname Mensh, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mensh 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 Mensh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 104
- Black or African American5.8% · 7
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mensh
Mensh 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+2 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,374 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-15 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 6,374 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 15,291 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 Mensh 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 | #126,018 | #141,309 | -12.1% |
| Count | 136 | 121 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mensh bearers went from 136 to 121 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 15,291 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #141,309.
FAQ
Mensh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mensh?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Mensh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Mensh?
Mensh ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Mensh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mensh.
Has Mensh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mensh went from 136 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Mensh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mensh, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Mensh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mensh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Mensh (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 Mensh mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Mensch" meaning human or person. 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 Mensh (0.04 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 Mensh?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Mensh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.