2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mixen
An English surname derived from the archaic word "mixen" meaning a compost heap or dunghill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Mixen. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mixen 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Mixen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mixen, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mixen
The surname MIXEN is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "mixen" meaning a dunghill or manure heap. It likely originated in the late 13th or early 14th century as a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a mixen or worked with manure.
One of the earliest known references to the surname MIXEN can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1275, where a person named John del Mixen is mentioned. This suggests the name was already established by that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings such as Mixon, Myxon, and Myxen in records from various counties in England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. The variations in spelling were common during that period due to the lack of standardized English spelling.
The surname MIXEN is also found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332, where a William Mixen is recorded. This document was a tax record, indicating the name was spread across different parts of England by the mid-14th century.
One notable bearer of the surname MIXEN was John Mixen, born around 1420 in Warwickshire, England. He was a yeoman farmer and landowner, and his name appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1444.
Another early recorded individual with the surname MIXEN was Thomas Mixen, born circa 1510 in Oxfordshire, England. He was a merchant and is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Woodstock in 1542.
In the 16th century, the surname MIXEN is found in various parish records across England, suggesting it was well-established by that time. For example, the baptism of Alice Mixen is recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1587.
The surname MIXEN has also been associated with some place names in England, such as Mixen Lane in Hertfordshire and Mixen Field in Suffolk, indicating the name's connection to specific locations.
While not a common surname, MIXEN has persisted throughout the centuries, and bearers of this name can trace their ancestry back to the early medieval period in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mixen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mixen, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mixen 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 Mixen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 88
- Black or African American8.8% · 10
- Two or more races6.2% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mixen
Mixen 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,201 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 15,201 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Mixen 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mixen bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Mixen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mixen?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Mixen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Mixen?
Mixen ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Mixen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Mixen.
Has Mixen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mixen went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Mixen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mixen, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Mixen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mixen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (8.8%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Mixen (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 Mixen mean?
An English surname derived from the archaic word "mixen" meaning a compost heap or dunghill. 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 Mixen (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 common is the surname Mixen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mixen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.