2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Muesse
A surname possibly derived from a variation of the German word "müde" meaning weary or tired.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Muesse. 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 Muesse 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 Muesse 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 Muesse, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muesse
The surname MUESSE has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged as a habitational name for someone who lived near a muddy area or marsh during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "mussa," meaning "marsh" or "swamp."
The earliest recorded instances of the name MUESSE date back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval records and documents from regions like Bavaria and Saxony. One notable early bearer of this surname was Hans Muesse, a landowner and farmer from the town of Arnstadt in Thuringia, who lived in the late 15th century.
In some areas, the name was also associated with occupational origins, referring to workers involved in the production or harvesting of moss, a material commonly found in marshy environments. This connection is evident in the similar spelling variations, such as "Müsse" or "Müsser," found in historical records.
The MUESSE surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Johann Muesse (1613-1680), a German composer and organist, is remembered for his contributions to the development of Lutheran church music during the Baroque period. Another prominent bearer of the name was Friedrich Muesse (1776-1834), a Prussian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected military strategist and author.
In the 19th century, the MUESSE name gained recognition through the work of Carl Muesse (1832-1903), a German-born American artist and painter known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in the American Midwest. His paintings are now held in collections at various museums across the United States.
Another notable figure was the German philosopher and theologian, Gustav Muesse (1858-1932), who made significant contributions to the study of Christian ethics and the philosophy of religion. His writings and teachings influenced generations of scholars and thinkers in Germany and beyond.
While the MUESSE surname is not among the most common in Germany, it has maintained its presence throughout the centuries, with various branches and descendants scattered across the country and beyond, carrying on the legacy of this name with its roots in the marshlands of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muesse
Among Census respondents with the surname Muesse, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Muesse 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 Muesse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muesse
Muesse appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 5,104 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 Muesse 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 | #153,769 | #148,665 | 3.3% |
| Count | 106 | 111 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muesse bearers went from 106 to 111 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 5,104 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #148,665.
FAQ
Muesse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muesse?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Muesse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Muesse?
Muesse 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 Muesse. 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 Muesse.
Has Muesse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muesse went from 106 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Muesse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muesse, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Muesse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muesse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%), Two or More Races (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 Muesse (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 Muesse mean?
A surname possibly derived from a variation of the German word "müde" meaning weary or tired. 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 Muesse (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 share the surname Muesse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.