2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Minde
A surname variant of the German place name Minden or the German word "minder" meaning less or inferior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Minde. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minde 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Minde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minde, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minde
The surname Minde has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is likely derived from the Old German word "minnēn," meaning "to love" or "to remember." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was particularly affectionate or had a good memory.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the medieval German manuscript "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," where a certain "Hermannus Minde" is mentioned in a document from the year 1283. This indicates that the name was already in use during that time period.
The Minde family appears to have originated in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, in central Germany. However, the name later spread to other parts of the country, as well as neighboring regions like Silesia (now part of Poland) and the Netherlands.
In the 16th century, the name Minde was found in various records and documents from the city of Leipzig. One notable individual was Johann Minde, a merchant and city councilor who lived from 1512 to 1579.
Another historical figure bearing the name Minde was Johann Friedrich Minde, a German jurist and legal scholar who was born in 1688 in the town of Halle. He published several influential works on Roman law and served as a professor at the University of Halle until his death in 1767.
In the 18th century, the name Minde was also found in the Netherlands, particularly in the province of Friesland. One example is Pieter Minde, a Dutch painter and engraver who was born in Leeuwarden in 1746 and died in 1826.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Minde can be traced to various locations in Germany, such as the town of Minden in North Rhine-Westphalia. A notable figure from this region was Karl Minde, a German politician and lawyer who lived from 1833 to 1898.
Another individual with the surname Minde was the German theologian and author Friedrich Wilhelm Minde, who was born in 1831 in the town of Bückeburg and died in 1899. He wrote several books on religious topics and served as a pastor in various Lutheran churches.
While the name Minde can be found throughout Germany and the Netherlands, it is also worth noting that there are variations of the spelling, such as Minden or Minder, which may have similar origins and meanings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minde
Among Census respondents with the surname Minde, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Minde 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 Minde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 94
- Black or African American7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minde
Minde 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-30 bearers (-22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 37,932 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+14 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -30 bearers (-22.9%) | Down 37,932 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 13,955 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 Minde 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 | #159,712 | #145,757 | 8.7% |
| Count | 101 | 115 | 13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minde bearers went from 101 to 115 (+13.9% change). The surname moved up 13,955 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Minde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minde?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Minde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Minde?
Minde ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Minde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Minde.
Has Minde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minde went from 101 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 14 (+13.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Minde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minde, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Minde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Minde (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 Minde mean?
A surname variant of the German place name Minden or the German word "minder" meaning less or inferior. 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 Minde (0.04 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 common is the surname Minde?
If you just want to know how many people are called Minde, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.