Find out how popular the last name Meske is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Meske.

Meske, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Meske surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meske in America

Meske is the 37288th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meske surname appeared 598 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Meske.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meske to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Meske

The surname Meske is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages between the 12th and 16th centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "mesk," which referred to a type of fish or a person who caught and sold fish. The earliest known bearers of this name were likely fishermen or lived near bodies of water where fishing was a common occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meske surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name may have initially been concentrated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas around the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts.

The Meske surname also appears in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Stadtbücher (city books) of Lübeck and Hamburg. These records often documented the names of citizens, tradesmen, and property owners, indicating that the Meske family had established roots in these areas during this period.

Notable individuals with the Meske surname throughout history include Johann Meske (c. 1530-1597), a German composer and organist from Lüneburg, and Hans Meske (1674-1727), a German painter and engraver from Hamburg. In the 19th century, Carl Meske (1811-1888) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.

Another significant figure was Wilhelm Meske (1901-1979), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party during World War II. He served as the Gauleiter (regional leader) of Westphalia-South from 1933 to 1945. In contrast, Kurt Meske (1884-1950) was a German writer and journalist known for his anti-Nazi views and was imprisoned by the regime for his resistance activities.

The Meske surname has also been found in various parts of Europe and beyond, likely due to migration and the spread of German communities over time. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern regions of Germany, where it originated as a descriptive name for those involved in fishing or living near bodies of water.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meske

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Meske.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Meske was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Meske has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Meske was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Meske, please contact us.

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