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

Messerly, 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 Messerly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Messerly in America

Messerly is the 21393rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Messerly surname appeared 1,223 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 Messerly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Messerly 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 Messerly

The surname Messerly is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "messer," which means "knife" or "dagger," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for a knife-maker or a person associated with the knife trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Messerly can be found in the Bavarian town records from the late 15th century, where a certain Johann Messerly was mentioned as a resident of the town. Another early reference is found in a Saxon manuscript from the 16th century, which mentions a family with the surname Messerly residing in the village of Meissen.

In the 17th century, the name Messerly appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, such as the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Messerly was recorded in 1628. During this time, the name also had variations in spelling, including Messerli, Messerley, and Messerlich.

Notable individuals with the surname Messerly include Johann Messerly (1670-1742), a German clockmaker from Augsburg who was renowned for his intricate and innovative timepiece designs. Another prominent figure was Katharina Messerly (1721-1789), a German painter known for her portraits and religious artworks.

In the 19th century, the name Messerly began to spread beyond Germany, with some families emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the United States. One such individual was Wilhelm Messerly (1832-1901), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful farmer.

Other notable bearers of the surname Messerly include Friedrich Messerly (1865-1928), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, and Erika Messerly (1910-1998), a Swiss novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of identity and societal issues.

Throughout its history, the surname Messerly has maintained its connection to its German roots, with many variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging as the name spread across different regions and countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Messerly

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

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

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

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