2000
#63,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Muessig
A German surname derived from müssig, meaning "idle" or "lazy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 375 Americans carry the last name Muessig. That puts it at #65,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 914,012 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muessig 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
375
1 in 914,012
Census rank
#65,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
327
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 327 bearers of the surname Muessig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muessig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muessig
The surname MUESSIG is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "müssig," which means "idle" or "unemployed." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was perceived as lazy or without a profession.
MUESSIG is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Saxony. The earliest known records of the name can be traced back to the 14th century, where it appeared in various town and village records.
In the 15th century, the surname MUESSIG was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans MUESSIG was recorded as a blacksmith. This indicates that despite the name's initial connotation, members of the MUESSIG family were actively engaged in various trades and professions.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname MUESSIG was Johann Georg MUESSIG (1646-1717), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. His compositions, particularly his church cantatas, were widely performed during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the name MUESSIG appeared in the records of the German settlements in Pennsylvania, United States. Johann Georg MUESSIG (1721-1788), a farmer from the Palatinate region, emigrated to America in 1751 and settled in Lancaster County.
Another prominent individual with the MUESSIG surname was Friedrich Christian MUESSIG (1785-1856), a German politician and jurist who served as the Mayor of Leipzig from 1832 to 1848. He played a significant role in the development of the city's infrastructure and education system.
In the 19th century, Karl MUESSIG (1818-1890) was a renowned German architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Prussian House of Representatives.
Wilhelm MUESSIG (1866-1935) was a German philosopher and educator who taught at various universities in Germany and Switzerland. He published several works on ethics and educational theory, influencing the intellectual discourse of his time.
While the surname MUESSIG may have originated from a word with a negative connotation, it has been carried by individuals who made significant contributions in various fields, including music, politics, architecture, and philosophy, throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muessig
Among Census respondents with the surname Muessig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Muessig 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 Muessig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 312
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 6
- Two or more races1.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muessig
Muessig 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
#62,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 322
+30 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 1,623 places
2020
#65,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 327
+5 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63,812 | 292 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,189 | 322 | 0.11 | +30 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,623 places |
| 2020 | #65,511 | 327 | 0.11 | +5 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 3,322 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 Muessig 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 | #62,189 | #65,511 | -5.3% |
| Count | 322 | 327 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muessig bearers went from 322 to 327 (+1.6% change). The surname moved down 3,322 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,189 to #65,511.
FAQ
Muessig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muessig?
Name Census estimates that about 375 living Americans carry the surname Muessig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 914,012 residents.
How common is Muessig?
Muessig ranks #65,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 327 people with the surname Muessig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Muessig.
Has Muessig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muessig went from 322 recorded bearers to 327. That is an increase of 5 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #62,189 to #65,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Muessig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muessig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) 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 Muessig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (312 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muessig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), 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 Muessig (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 Muessig mean?
A German surname derived from müssig, meaning "idle" or "lazy." 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 Muessig (0.11 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 are called Muessig?
If you just want to know how many people are called Muessig, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.