2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Messecar
A surname of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Messecar. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Messecar 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Messecar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Messecar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Messecar
The surname Messecar is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'maesse' meaning 'mass' and 'caru' meaning 'care' or 'charge'. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, referring to a person responsible for maintaining the religious services and masses in a particular church or parish.
Historically, the name Messecar can be traced back to various regions of England, primarily in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. Records from the 14th century indicate that the surname was spelled in various ways, such as Messeker, Messiker, and Messicar, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Messecar appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from the year 1327, where a certain John Messeker is mentioned. Additionally, the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1389 cites a William Messicar as a landowner in the village of Wethersfield.
In the 15th century, the surname Messecar is found in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the influential Paston family of Norfolk. A man named Robert Messecar is mentioned as a servant in one of the letters dated around 1472.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Messecar throughout history include:
1. John Messecar (born c. 1510), a yeoman farmer from Oxfordshire who was involved in the Oxfordshire Rising of 1596, a rebellion against the policies of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. William Messecar (c. 1620 - 1688), a merchant and landowner from Suffolk, who was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a churchwarden in the parish of Bury St. Edmunds.
3. Mary Messecar (c. 1675 - 1742), a renowned herbalist and midwife from Norfolk, who was widely sought after for her knowledge of traditional remedies and healing practices.
4. Thomas Messecar (1738 - 1812), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, eventually attaining the rank of Captain.
5. Elizabeth Messecar (1795 - 1867), a philanthropist and social reformer from Essex, who was instrumental in establishing several charitable organizations and schools for underprivileged children in her local community.
While the surname Messecar is not as common today as it once was, it remains an enduring link to the rich history and heritage of English society, particularly in the regions where it first emerged and flourished.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Messecar
Among Census respondents with the surname Messecar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Messecar 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 Messecar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino14.2% · 16
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Messecar
Messecar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,407 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 Messecar 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 | #152,628 | #147,221 | 3.5% |
| Count | 107 | 113 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Messecar bearers went from 107 to 113 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,221.
FAQ
Messecar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Messecar?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Messecar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Messecar?
Messecar ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Messecar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Messecar.
Has Messecar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Messecar went from 107 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Messecar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Messecar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Messecar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Messecar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (14.2%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Messecar (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 Messecar mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a 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 Messecar (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 people have the last name Messecar?
Want to know how common the surname Messecar is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.