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

Messing, 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 Messing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Messing in America

Messing is the 12289th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Messing surname appeared 2,530 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Messing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Messing 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 Messing

The surname Messing originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic word "meisner," meaning a person from the city of Meissen, located in the present-day German state of Saxony. Alternatively, some sources suggest that the name may have originated from the occupation of a maker or seller of measures, which was known as a "messer" in Middle German.

The earliest recorded mention of the Messing surname can be found in the town records of Meissen, dating back to the year 1348. These records document a certain "Johannes Messing," who was a prominent citizen and landowner in the area. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, including tax records and church registers from the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the 16th century, the Messing surname began to spread beyond the borders of Saxony, with individuals bearing the name appearing in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Johann Messing (1516-1590), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in the region.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Messing surname gained further prominence, with several individuals achieving notable success in various fields. One such individual was Adam Messing (1647-1720), a German architect and engineer who was responsible for the design of several important buildings in the city of Dresden.

Another notable figure was Johann Georg Messing (1733-1807), a German composer and organist who was renowned for his contributions to the development of sacred music in the late Baroque and early Classical periods.

In the 19th century, the Messing surname continued to be well-represented in various areas of German society. One prominent individual from this period was Friedrich Messing (1835-1918), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Messing Werke, a successful manufacturing company that produced a wide range of metal products.

As migration patterns increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Messing surname began to spread further afield, with individuals bearing the name settling in various parts of Europe, as well as in North America and other regions of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Messing

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

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

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

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