2000
#10,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Messmer
A German occupational surname referring to a sexton, sacristan, or church officer who handles sacred objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,117 Americans carry the last name Messmer. That puts it at #11,141 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,963 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Messmer 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
3.1K
1 in 109,963
Census rank
#11,141
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,718 bearers of the surname Messmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11141st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Messmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Messmer
The surname Messmer is of German origin, originating in the southern German regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "messer," meaning "knife," and may have been an occupational name referring to a knife-maker or someone associated with that trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the town records of Kempten, Bavaria, from the year 1568, where a certain Hans Messmer is mentioned as a resident. In the 17th century, the name can be found in various church records and tax registers in the region around Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in present-day Baden-Württemberg.
The Messmer surname has been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent figures was Franz Anton Messmer (1734-1815), a German physician who pioneered the study of animal magnetism, which later became known as mesmerism. His theories and practices were highly influential in the fields of hypnosis and psychotherapy.
Another individual of note was Johann Baptist Messmer (1785-1859), a Swiss Catholic priest and theologian who was a prominent figure in the Old Catholic movement. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, which broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, the German poet and writer Konrad Messmer (1880-1937) gained recognition for his works, including the novel "Der Ölberg" and several collections of poetry. His writings often explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
The name Messmer has also been associated with various locations, such as the town of Messmersmühle in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, which likely derived its name from an early resident with the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Messmer include Johann Georg Messmer (1733-1804), a German-born priest and missionary who played a significant role in the establishment of Catholicism in the United States, and Theodor Messmer (1891-1970), a Swiss engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of mechanical calculators and early computer technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Messmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Messmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Messmer 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 Messmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,514
- Two or more races3.2% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Messmer
Messmer 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
#10,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
-37 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 850 places
2020
#11,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
-215 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 281 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,010 | 2,970 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,860 | 2,933 | 0.99 | -37 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 850 places |
| 2020 | #11,141 | 2,718 | 0.91 | -215 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 281 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 Messmer 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 | #10,860 | #11,141 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,933 | 2,718 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.91 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Messmer bearers went from 2,933 to 2,718 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 281 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,860 to #11,141.
FAQ
Messmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Messmer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,117 living Americans carry the surname Messmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,963 residents.
How common is Messmer?
Messmer ranks #11,141 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,718 people with the surname Messmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Messmer.
Has Messmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Messmer went from 2,933 recorded bearers to 2,718. That is a decrease of 215 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,860 to #11,141.
What does the Census say about the background of Messmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Messmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Messmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Messmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Messmer (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 Messmer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a sexton, sacristan, or church officer who handles sacred objects. 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 Messmer (0.91 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 share the surname Messmer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.