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

Mission, 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 Mission surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mission in America

Mission is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mission surname appeared 132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mission.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mission 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 Mission

The surname Mission is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "mission," which means "a sending forth" or "a commission." The name likely referred to someone who was sent on a mission or errand, perhaps as a messenger or emissary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1221, which mention a Robert le Mission. The "le" prefix indicates that this was a descriptive surname, denoting Robert's occupation or role as a messenger or envoy.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as de Missione and Myssion, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 list a William Myssion from Cambridgeshire.

During the 14th century, the name began to take on its modern spelling of "Mission." The Poll Tax Returns of 1379 record a John Mission from Norfolk, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1524 mention a Thomas Mission from Warwickshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Mission include:

1. William Mission (c. 1530-1605), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.
2. John Mission (1599-1663), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.
3. Elizabeth Mission (c. 1670-1745), a British landowner and philanthropist who endowed several charitable causes in her hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
4. Henry Mission (1785-1859), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America and contributed to the study of the region's flora and fauna.
5. Margaret Mission (1828-1912), a Scottish author and suffragette who campaigned for women's rights and education.

The surname Mission has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Mission Green in Hertfordshire and Mission Field in Gloucestershire, which may have been named after individuals bearing this surname or referring to the occupational meaning of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mission

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!