2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meppen
An occupational surname likely originating from the town of Meppen, Germany, referring to an inhabitant or worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Meppen. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meppen 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Meppen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meppen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meppen
The surname Meppen originated in Germany, specifically in the Lower Saxony region. It is believed to have derived from the German place name "Meppen," which is a town located in the district of Emsland, Lower Saxony. The name Meppen is thought to come from the Old Saxon words "mep" and "hen," meaning "border" and "rooster" or "cock," respectively.
Records indicate that the name Meppen first appeared in the 12th century. One of the earliest known mentions of the name is found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript that documented land transactions and other legal matters in the region of Westphalia, which includes the town of Meppen.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders and their holdings compiled in 1086 for King William I of England, does not contain any direct references to the surname Meppen. However, it is possible that some of the individuals listed in the Domesday Book may have been ancestors of those who later adopted the surname Meppen.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Meppen was Johann von Meppen, a nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and owned lands in the vicinity of the town of Meppen. Another notable figure was Gerhard Meppen, a merchant and landowner who lived in the 15th century and played a significant role in the economic development of the town of Meppen.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hermann Meppen (1516-1589), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who participated in the Protestant Reformation and contributed to the translation of the Bible into German.
During the 17th century, the name Meppen was associated with Joachim Meppen (1612-1678), a German composer and organist who worked in various churches in the Lower Saxony region.
Another prominent individual with the surname Meppen was Carl Friedrich Meppen (1765-1834), a German writer and philosopher who published works on ethics, aesthetics, and political theory.
Throughout its history, the surname Meppen has been closely associated with the town of Meppen in Lower Saxony, and many bearers of the name can trace their ancestry back to that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meppen
Among Census respondents with the surname Meppen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meppen 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 Meppen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 99
- Two or more races8.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meppen
Meppen 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,533 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 5,533 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Meppen 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meppen bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Meppen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meppen?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Meppen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Meppen?
Meppen ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Meppen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Meppen.
Has Meppen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meppen went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Meppen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meppen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.9%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Meppen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meppen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (8.9%), Black (0.9%). 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 Meppen (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 Meppen mean?
An occupational surname likely originating from the town of Meppen, Germany, referring to an inhabitant or worker. 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 Meppen (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 many people are called Meppen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Meppen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.