2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mesec
A surname likely derived from the Slavic word for moon, potentially indicating ancestral ties to a person or place associated with the moon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 186 Americans carry the last name Mesec. That puts it at #114,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,842,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mesec 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
186
1 in 1,842,765
Census rank
#114,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
162
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 162 bearers of the surname Mesec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 114613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mesec, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mesec
The surname MESEC is of Slavic origin, specifically from the former Yugoslavia region in the Balkans of Southeastern Europe. It likely emerged as a surname sometime in the late medieval or early modern period, around the 15th to 17th centuries.
The name MESEC is derived from the Slavic word "mesec" meaning "moon" or "month." This suggests the name may have originated as a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to someone born during a particular moon phase or month. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who worked under the moonlight, such as a night watchman or a shepherd.
One of the earliest known records of the name MESEC appears in a 1497 census of the town of Dubrovnik, which was then part of the Republic of Ragusa (now in modern-day Croatia). The record lists a merchant named Ivan MESEC, indicating the name was already in use by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname MESEC was Miloš MESEC, a Serbian military leader who fought against the Ottoman Empire in the early 1600s. He is mentioned in several historical chronicles from that period, including the "Memoirs of Patriarch Pajsije."
Another prominent individual with the MESEC surname was Petar MESEC, a Croatian writer and poet who lived in the mid-18th century. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Cvjetje Razliko" (Various Flowers), published in 1768.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the MESEC name was Jovan MESEC, a Serbian educator and linguist born in 1838. He authored several influential works on the Serbian language and served as a professor at the Grand School (later the University of Belgrade).
Towards the end of the 19th century, a place name associated with the MESEC surname emerged: the village of Mesečina, located in what is now northern Serbia. The name likely derives from the same Slavic root as the surname, suggesting a possible connection between the two.
Other historical figures with the MESEC surname include Marija MESEC, a Croatian painter from the early 20th century, and Luka MESEC, a Slovenian Olympic athlete who competed in the 1936 Berlin Games as a wrestler.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mesec
Among Census respondents with the surname Mesec, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mesec 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 Mesec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 140
- Two or more races5.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mesec
Mesec 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
#116,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
+11 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 78 places
2020
#114,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
+12 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,201 | 150 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 78 places |
| 2020 | #114,613 | 162 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 1,588 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 Mesec 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 | #116,201 | #114,613 | 1.4% |
| Count | 150 | 162 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mesec bearers went from 150 to 162 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 1,588 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,201 to #114,613.
FAQ
Mesec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mesec?
Name Census estimates that about 186 living Americans carry the surname Mesec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,842,765 residents.
How common is Mesec?
Mesec ranks #114,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 162 people with the surname Mesec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Mesec.
Has Mesec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mesec went from 150 recorded bearers to 162. That is an increase of 12 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #116,201 to #114,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Mesec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mesec, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Mesec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mesec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Mesec (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 Mesec mean?
A surname likely derived from the Slavic word for moon, potentially indicating ancestral ties to a person or place associated with the moon. 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 Mesec (0.05 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 Mesec?
You can see how common the surname Mesec is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.