2000
#7,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Minnich
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "münich," meaning "monk" or "friar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,649 Americans carry the last name Minnich. That puts it at #7,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,726 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minnich 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
4.6K
1 in 73,726
Census rank
#7,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,054 bearers of the surname Minnich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minnich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minnich
The surname Minnich has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the German word "münnich," which means "monk" or "friar." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near a monastery or had some association with monastic life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Nürnberg, Bavaria, in the 14th century. A document from 1380 mentions a certain "Haintz Minnich," who was a resident of the town. This suggests that the name had already been established in that region by that time.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the records of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, located in the present-day German state of Baden-Württemberg. In a document dated 1488, a "Hans Minnich" is mentioned as a citizen of the town.
The name Minnich also appears to have been associated with certain place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Minnech in the Rhineland-Palatinate region is believed to be derived from the surname, although the exact connection is unclear.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Minnich. One example is Johann Minnich (1625-1692), a German composer and organist who was active in the 17th century. Another is Wilhelm Minnich (1845-1920), a German-American architect who designed several buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other notable bearers of the name include:
1. Peter Minnich (1777-1860), a Pennsylvania-born farmer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives.
2. John Minnich (1768-1846), a gunsmith and militia officer from Pennsylvania who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Johann Minnich (1703-1766), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
4. Konrad Minnich (1525-1583), a German mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the field of cartography.
5. Heinrich Minnich (1870-1943), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Minnich Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee.
While the surname Minnich has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States and Canada. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Germanic regions, where it likely originated as a descriptor for someone with ties to monastic life or a specific location.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minnich
Among Census respondents with the surname Minnich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Minnich 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 Minnich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 3,842
- Two or more races2.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minnich
Minnich 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
#7,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,369
+190 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 266 places
2020
#7,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,054
-315 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,343 | 4,179 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,609 | 4,369 | 1.48 | +190 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 266 places |
| 2020 | #7,847 | 4,054 | 1.36 | -315 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 238 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 Minnich 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 | #7,609 | #7,847 | -3.1% |
| Count | 4,369 | 4,054 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.36 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minnich bearers went from 4,369 to 4,054 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 238 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,609 to #7,847.
FAQ
Minnich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minnich?
Name Census estimates that about 4,649 living Americans carry the surname Minnich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,726 residents.
How common is Minnich?
Minnich ranks #7,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,054 people with the surname Minnich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Minnich.
Has Minnich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minnich went from 4,369 recorded bearers to 4,054. That is a decrease of 315 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,609 to #7,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Minnich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minnich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Minnich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (3,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minnich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Minnich (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 Minnich mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "münich," meaning "monk" or "friar." 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 Minnich (1.36 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 Americans have the surname Minnich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.