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

Messam, 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 Messam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Messam in America

Messam is the 60347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Messam surname appeared 334 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 Messam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Messam 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 Messam

The surname Messam has its origins in the Middle English word "messam", which means "harvest" or "the act of reaping crops". It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Northumberland, during the 13th and 14th centuries.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Messam can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1301, where a certain John Messam is mentioned as a tenant farmer. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to those who worked as harvesters or reapers during the agricultural seasons.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Thomas Messam is mentioned in 1456. This indicates that the name had spread and become established in the local communities of the region.

The surname Messam also has connections to place names, as evidenced by the existence of a hamlet called Messam Green in Lincolnshire. This small settlement likely derived its name from the Messam family who may have been landowners or prominent residents in the area.

Notable individuals with the surname Messam include Sir John Messam (1585-1649), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Southwark during the reign of King Charles I. Another prominent figure was Robert Messam (1712-1781), a successful merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire, who amassed significant wealth through his business ventures.

In the 18th century, the name Messam appears in the parish records of several English counties, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the surname had become well-established across various regions of northern England.

Other individuals of note include William Messam (1810-1888), a renowned architect from Yorkshire who designed several notable buildings in the region, and James Messam (1865-1944), a British engineer and inventor who held several patents for agricultural machinery.

As the centuries progressed, the Messam surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some families migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world, carrying their surname with them.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Messam

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

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

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

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