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

Messick, 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 Messick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Messick in America

Messick is the 5404th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Messick surname appeared 6,441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Messick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Messick 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 Messick

The surname Messick is believed to have originated in the German states, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "mess," meaning "to measure" or "to survey," and likely referred to an occupation involving land measurement or surveying.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Messick name can be found in the Rottweil municipal records from 1311, which mention a Cunrat Messer. This variation of the spelling suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the German word "messer," meaning "knife" or "sword."

As the name spread across Europe, various spellings emerged, such as Messik, Messick, and Messig. In England, the Messick surname is believed to have arrived with German immigrants during the 16th and 17th centuries, with some of the earliest recorded examples found in church records from the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Notable individuals with the Messick surname include John Messick (1820-1901), a Union soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Another prominent figure was Edwin Messick (1845-1916), a politician and lawyer from Delaware who served as a United States Representative in the late 19th century.

In the arts, Hank Messick (1908-1992) was an American voice actor best known for voicing various characters in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, including Boo-Boo Bear in the Yogi Bear show. Additionally, Ralph Messick (1916-1998) was an American cartoonist and illustrator who worked for various comic book publishers, including DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Messick name in literature can be found in the 1665 work "The History of the County Palatine of Chester" by William Dugdale, which mentions a Thomas Messick as a landowner in the county during the 17th century.

While the Messick surname may have originated from a humble occupation, it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from military service and politics to entertainment and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Messick

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

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

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

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