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

Messiah, 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 Messiah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Messiah in America

Messiah is the 89403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Messiah surname appeared 207 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 Messiah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Messiah 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 Messiah

The surname Messiah is an English surname derived from the Hebrew word "Mashiach" which means "anointed one" or "the Messiah". It is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages, likely as a descriptive surname or a nickname given to someone who was seen as a savior or a leader.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Messiah can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various documents and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Messiah, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1230.

In the 14th century, the surname Messiah was also found in Yorkshire, where it was likely derived from the Old English place name "Messiah" or "Messia", which may have been related to the Hebrew word "Mashiach". During this period, several members of the Messiah family were recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379.

In the 15th century, the surname Messiah appeared in various spellings such as "Messias", "Messyas", and "Messias" in various records and documents across England. One notable bearer of the name was John Messiah, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1428.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Messiah became more widespread across England, and several prominent individuals bore this name. One of the most notable figures was Sir William Messiah (1560-1632), who was an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1631.

Another famous bearer of the surname Messiah was Robert Messiah (1620-1677), an English mathematician and astronomer who is best known for his work on the calculation of the motion of comets. He was also a fellow of the Royal Society and made significant contributions to the field of astronomy.

In the 18th century, the surname Messiah was also found in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands, where it was likely adopted by Jewish families who had converted to Christianity. During this period, some notable individuals with the surname Messiah included Johann Messiah (1703-1784), a German composer and organist, and Johannes Messiah (1745-1812), a Dutch painter and engraver.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Messiah continued to be found across various regions of England and Europe, with several notable individuals bearing this name. These included Sir Arthur Messiah (1858-1935), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General for England and Wales, and Sir Charles Messiah (1879-1954), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Messiah Trust, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting education and poverty alleviation initiatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Messiah

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

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

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

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