2000
#9,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Misner
An occupational surname for a sexton or church bell-ringer, derived from the German word "messner" meaning "sacristan."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,548 Americans carry the last name Misner. That puts it at #9,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Misner 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
3.5K
1 in 96,605
Census rank
#9,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,094 bearers of the surname Misner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Misner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Misner
The surname Misner is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Mies," which means "bog" or "marsh," suggesting that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived in or near a marshy area.
One of the earliest documented references to the Misner surname can be found in the records of the town of Hessen in central Germany, where a family by the name of Misner is mentioned in the late 1500s. This record provides valuable insight into the geographical origins of the name.
In the 17th century, the Misner name began appearing in various records across other parts of Germany, including in the cities of Nuremberg and Munich. It is possible that the name underwent minor spelling variations during this time, with some records showing it as "Misnner" or "Misener."
As the Misner family spread across Germany and beyond, several notable individuals with this surname emerged. One such person was Johann Misner, a respected scholar and theologian who lived in the city of Leipzig in the late 1600s. Another notable figure was Hans Misner, a successful merchant and trader who operated in the Hanseatic League during the mid-1700s.
In the 19th century, the Misner name found its way to the United States, with many German immigrants carrying the surname settling in various parts of the country. One of the earliest recorded Misners in America was Wilhelm Misner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1832.
Another prominent individual with the Misner surname was Charles Misner, a prominent American physicist and mathematician who was born in 1932 and made significant contributions to the field of general relativity. He is known for his work on the Misner-Sharp mass function and the Misner-Wheeler wormhole concept.
Throughout history, the Misner surname has been associated with various professions, including academia, business, and the arts. While the name may have originated from a humble reference to a marshy area, it has since become a respected surname carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and accomplishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Misner
Among Census respondents with the surname Misner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Misner 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 Misner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,824
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 103
- Two or more races3.1% · 95
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Misner
Misner 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
#9,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,395
+170 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 278 places
2020
#9,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,094
-301 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,295 | 3,225 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,573 | 3,395 | 1.15 | +170 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 278 places |
| 2020 | #9,956 | 3,094 | 1.04 | -301 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 383 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 Misner 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 | #9,573 | #9,956 | -4.0% |
| Count | 3,395 | 3,094 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.04 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Misner bearers went from 3,395 to 3,094 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 383 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,573 to #9,956.
FAQ
Misner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Misner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,548 living Americans carry the surname Misner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,605 residents.
How common is Misner?
Misner ranks #9,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,094 people with the surname Misner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Misner.
Has Misner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Misner went from 3,395 recorded bearers to 3,094. That is a decrease of 301 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,573 to #9,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Misner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Misner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Misner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,824 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Misner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Misner (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 Misner mean?
An occupational surname for a sexton or church bell-ringer, derived from the German word "messner" meaning "sacristan." 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 Misner (1.04 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 many Americans have the surname Misner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.