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

Meskin, 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 Meskin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meskin in America

Meskin is the 79598th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meskin surname appeared 239 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 Meskin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meskin 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 Meskin

The surname Meskin is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the northern regions near the Belgian border. It likely emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old French word "mesquin," which meant "miserly" or "stingy."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meskin surname can be found in the 1292 census rolls of the city of Lille, where a Guillaume Mesquin was listed as a resident. In the 1327 tax records of the nearby town of Douai, a Jean Mesquin is mentioned as a landowner.

During the 15th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of France, as well as into the neighboring regions of Belgium and the Netherlands. In the 1486 municipal records of Brussels, a certain Pieter Meskin is listed as a merchant guild member.

While the Meskin surname is not particularly common, there are a few notable historical figures who bore this name. In the 16th century, a French poet and dramatist named Jean Meskin (1515-1589) gained some renown for his satirical works criticizing the excesses of the nobility.

Another prominent individual was the Dutch painter Dirck Meskin (1576-1638), who was known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the Netherlands. His works can be found in several major art museums across Europe.

In the 18th century, a French military officer named François Meskin (1723-1801) served in the Seven Years' War and later became a brigadier general during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Moving into the 19th century, a Belgian architect named Victor Meskin (1840-1912) was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Brussels, including the Palais des Académies and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie.

Finally, in the early 20th century, a French writer and journalist named Marcel Meskin (1892-1976) gained recognition for his novels and articles exploring the themes of social justice and the plight of the working class.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meskin

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

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 Meskin 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 Meskin 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 Meskin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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