2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Meschede
A surname denoting someone from the town of Meschede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Meschede. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meschede 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Meschede in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meschede, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meschede
The surname Meschede has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the town of Meschede, located in the district of Hochsauerlandkreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. The name itself is believed to have evolved from the Old Germanic words "mesha" meaning "marshy" and "ede" meaning "clearing" or "open space."
Meschede was first mentioned in historical records in the year 1072, when it was referred to as "Maskedun." This suggests that the name has roots stretching back to the 11th century or even earlier. The town's name likely referred to a marshy clearing where the settlement was established.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Meschede can be found in the Westphalian Landfrieden (Land Peace) of 1491, where a certain Hinrich Meschede is mentioned. This document, which aimed to establish peace and order in the region, provides evidence of the surname's existence during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Meschede, a German theologian and reformer who lived from around 1525 to 1591. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement in Westphalia and authored several religious works.
During the 17th century, the surname Meschede can be found in various records from the region. One notable figure was Johann Arnold Meschede, a merchant and city councilor in Meschede, who lived from 1628 to 1694.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Meschede (1824-1899) was a prominent German industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded the Meschede Iron and Steel Works, which became a major employer in the region.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Friedrich Meschede (1846-1912), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and the German Reichstag.
As the surname Meschede is closely tied to the town of the same name, it is likely that many early bearers of the name were residents or originated from this area. However, over time, the surname spread to other regions as people migrated or established new branches of their families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meschede
Among Census respondents with the surname Meschede, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Meschede 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 Meschede surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meschede
Meschede 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,415 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+7 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,415 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.8%) | Up 7,788 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 Meschede 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 | #157,234 | #149,446 | 5.0% |
| Count | 103 | 110 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meschede bearers went from 103 to 110 (+6.8% change). The surname moved up 7,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #149,446.
FAQ
Meschede surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meschede?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Meschede. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Meschede?
Meschede ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Meschede. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Meschede.
Has Meschede become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meschede went from 103 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 7 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Meschede?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meschede, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (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 Meschede in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meschede appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (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 Meschede (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 Meschede mean?
A surname denoting someone from the town of Meschede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 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 Meschede (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 share the surname Meschede?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.