2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mistich
A surname possibly derived from a place name or an occupational term related to smithing or metalwork.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Mistich. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mistich 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Mistich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mistich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mistich
The surname MISTICH is believed to have originated from the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Croatia and Serbia. It likely emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 15th centuries.
One theory suggests that MISTICH is derived from the Old Slavic word "mist," meaning "place" or "locality." This could indicate that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a specific location or settlement. Another possibility is that it stems from the Slavic word "misto," meaning "town" or "city."
Records from the 14th century show variations of the spelling, such as "Mishtich" and "Mystich," appearing in historical documents and manuscripts from the region. However, there are no known references to the name in major works like the Domesday Book or other medieval sources from Western Europe.
The earliest documented individual with the surname MISTICH was Ivan Mistich, a landowner and merchant who lived in the town of Dubrovnik (now in Croatia) during the late 15th century, around 1480. Another notable figure was Petar Mistich, a Serbian priest and scholar who lived in the 16th century (1520-1598) and authored several religious texts.
In the 17th century, a family of MISTICH nobles held significant influence in the Balkan region. One member, Marko Mistich (1625-1698), was a military commander and diplomat who served in the armies of the Holy Roman Empire.
Jumping to the 19th century, Luka Mistich (1810-1884) was a Croatian writer and poet who published several collections of works celebrating his homeland's culture and traditions.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Aleksandar Mistich (1892-1976) was a Serbian scientist and engineer who made important contributions to the field of aeronautics and aircraft design.
Throughout its history, the surname MISTICH has maintained its roots in the Slavic regions of Southeastern Europe, although it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mistich
Among Census respondents with the surname Mistich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mistich 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 Mistich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mistich
Mistich 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+8 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,242 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 1,242 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Mistich 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mistich bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Mistich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mistich?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Mistich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Mistich?
Mistich ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Mistich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Mistich.
Has Mistich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mistich went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Mistich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mistich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Mistich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mistich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Mistich (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 Mistich mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or an occupational term related to smithing or metalwork. 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 Mistich (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 many people have the last name Mistich?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Mistich is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.