2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mesirow
A surname derived from a Polish town or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mesirow. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mesirow 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Mesirow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mesirow, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mesirow
The surname Mesirow has its origins in the Eastern European region, specifically in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have derived from the Yiddish word "messer," meaning "knife," which may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a cutler or knife maker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Mesirow can be traced back to the 18th century in various Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. One of the earliest known references is found in the records of the Jewish community in the city of Lublin, Poland, where a Mesirow family is mentioned in the late 1700s.
In the 19th century, the name Mesirow began to appear in various records and documents across Eastern Europe. For example, in the 1820s, there are records of a Mesirow family living in the town of Berdychiv, in present-day Ukraine. Another notable individual was Chaim Mesirow, a Jewish scholar and teacher who lived in the town of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in the mid-1800s.
As the 19th century progressed, some members of the Mesirow family emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One of the earliest known individuals to settle in the United States was Abraham Mesirow, who arrived in New York City in the 1870s and later moved to Chicago, where he established a successful business.
Other notable individuals with the surname Mesirow include:
1. Kalman Mesirow (1865-1942), a prominent Jewish businessman and philanthropist in Chicago, who founded the Mesirow Financial investment firm.
2. Sidney Mesirow (1897-1984), an American businessman and real estate developer, best known for developing the Oak Brook shopping center in Illinois.
3. Norman Mesirow (1901-1983), an American businessman and philanthropist, who served as the president of the Mesirow Financial company for several decades.
4. Ira Mesirow (1914-2007), an American businessman and philanthropist, who worked at Mesirow Financial and was actively involved in various charitable organizations.
5. Paul Mesirow (born 1951), an American businessman and the current chairman and CEO of Mesirow Financial, carrying on the family's legacy in the financial industry.
While the surname Mesirow has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in North America, where many descendants of the original Mesirow families have made significant contributions in various fields, including business, finance, and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mesirow
Among Census respondents with the surname Mesirow, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mesirow 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 Mesirow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mesirow
Mesirow 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,322 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 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 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 1,322 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 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 Mesirow 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 | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mesirow bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mesirow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mesirow?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mesirow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mesirow?
Mesirow ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Mesirow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Mesirow.
Has Mesirow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mesirow went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mesirow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mesirow, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mesirow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mesirow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mesirow (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 Mesirow mean?
A surname derived from a Polish town or place name. 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 Mesirow (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 Americans have the surname Mesirow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.