2000
#5,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Messick
Derived from a nickname for someone who was messy or untidy, from Middle English "messing" meaning "dirty" or "filthy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,894 Americans carry the last name Messick. That puts it at #5,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Messick 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
6.9K
1 in 49,718
Census rank
#5,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,012 bearers of the surname Messick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Messick, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Messick
Among Census respondents with the surname Messick, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Messick 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 Messick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 5,498
- Two or more races3.4% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 176
- Black or African American1.3% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Messick
Messick appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,441
+92 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 334 places
2020
#5,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,012
-429 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,070 | 6,349 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,404 | 6,441 | 2.18 | +92 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 334 places |
| 2020 | #5,580 | 6,012 | 2.01 | -429 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 176 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 Messick 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 | #5,404 | #5,580 | -3.3% |
| Count | 6,441 | 6,012 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.01 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Messick bearers went from 6,441 to 6,012 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,404 to #5,580.
FAQ
Messick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Messick?
Name Census estimates that about 6,894 living Americans carry the surname Messick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,718 residents.
How common is Messick?
Messick ranks #5,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,012 people with the surname Messick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,894), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Messick.
Has Messick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Messick went from 6,441 recorded bearers to 6,012. That is a decrease of 429 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,404 to #5,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Messick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Messick, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Messick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (5,498 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Messick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Messick (2000, 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 Messick mean?
Derived from a nickname for someone who was messy or untidy, from Middle English "messing" meaning "dirty" or "filthy." 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 Messick (2.01 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 Messick?
Want to know how many people have the surname Messick? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.