2000
#5,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Mix
An occupational surname referring to a person who mixed ingredients, such as a baker or pharmacist.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,893 Americans carry the last name Mix. That puts it at #6,369 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,163 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mix 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
5.9K
1 in 58,163
Census rank
#6,369
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,139 bearers of the surname Mix in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6369th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mix, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mix
The surname MIX has its origins in the German and English languages. It is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the Middle Ages, potentially as early as the 12th century.
In Germany, the name MIX may have derived from the Old German word "misken," meaning "to mix" or "to blend." This suggests that the name could have been initially associated with occupations related to mixing, such as bakers, brewers, or apothecaries. Alternatively, it may have been used as a descriptive surname for individuals who mixed different substances or materials in their trade.
As the name spread across Europe, it likely underwent various spelling variations, including Myx, Mixe, and Myxe. These variations were common due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MIX can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have migrated to England from the German regions during the Norman Conquest or shortly thereafter.
Notable historical figures with the surname MIX include Johann Martin Mix (1647-1725), a German theologian and author, and Johann Georg Mix (1715-1790), a German mathematician and astronomer. In England, Sir Thomas Mix (1532-1589) was a prominent politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
The name MIX also appears in records related to the colonization of North America. One example is John Mix (1607-1685), an early settler in New Haven, Connecticut, who arrived from England in the 1630s. Another notable figure was Samuel Mix (1774-1828), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.
During the 19th century, the surname MIX gained prominence in various fields. Marcus Mix (1805-1893) was an American industrialist and inventor, known for developing early forms of agricultural machinery. William Mix (1856-1926) was a prominent American architect who designed several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As the centuries passed, individuals bearing the surname MIX continued to contribute to various aspects of society, including science, literature, and the arts. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the Germanic regions of Europe, where it likely emerged as a descriptive or occupational surname during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mix
Among Census respondents with the surname Mix, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mix 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 Mix surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 3,955
- Black or African American10.8% · 557
- Two or more races4.2% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 215
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mix
Mix 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
#6,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,344
-497 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 898 places
2020
#6,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,139
-205 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,472 | 5,841 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,370 | 5,344 | 1.81 | -497 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 898 places |
| 2020 | #6,369 | 5,139 | 1.72 | -205 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 1 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 Mix 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 | #6,370 | #6,369 | 0.0% |
| Count | 5,344 | 5,139 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.72 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mix bearers went from 5,344 to 5,139 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,370 to #6,369.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mix
FAQ
Mix surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mix?
Name Census estimates that about 5,893 living Americans carry the surname Mix. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,163 residents.
How common is Mix?
Mix ranks #6,369 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,139 people with the surname Mix. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mix.
Has Mix become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mix went from 5,344 recorded bearers to 5,139. That is a decrease of 205 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,370 to #6,369.
What does the Census say about the background of Mix?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mix, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mix in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (3,955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mix appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Mix (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 Mix mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who mixed ingredients, such as a baker or pharmacist. 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 Mix (1.72 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 Mix?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.