2000
#5,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Rare Last name
Musselman
A surname of German origin referring to a person from Moselle or a person who sold mussels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,918 Americans carry the last name Musselman. That puts it at #5,563 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,545 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musselman 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
6.9K
1 in 49,545
Census rank
#5,563
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,033 bearers of the surname Musselman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5563rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musselman
The surname MUSSELMAN is of German origin, derived from the word "Muselmann" which means "Muslim" or "Moor". It first emerged in the Middle Ages, likely during the Crusades when Europeans encountered Muslims in the Holy Land and parts of Spain.
The name initially referred to someone of Muslim or Arabic descent, but over time it became a surname used by both Christians and Muslims. It may have also been applied to merchants or travelers who had dealings with Muslims or came from areas with a significant Muslim population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Liber Monstrorum" (Book of Monsters), a 12th-century manuscript that lists various surnames, including "Musselman". This suggests the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a "Johannes Musselman" in the city of Cologne, Germany. This may be one of the earliest documented individuals with this surname.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears in various town and church records across Germany, particularly in regions like Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. Spellings like "Mußelman", "Muselman", and "Mussulmann" were also common variations.
One notable figure with this surname was Johann Musselman (1613-1681), a German theologian and author from Saxony who wrote extensively on religious topics.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Musselman family settled in Pennsylvania, United States, where they became known for their involvement in the German-American community. Jacob Musselman (1736-1801) was a prominent figure in this lineage, serving as a militiaman during the American Revolutionary War.
Another significant individual was Wilhelm Musselman (1843-1919), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Musselman Fruit Company in Pennsylvania, which became a leading producer of canned fruits and vegetables.
By the 19th and 20th centuries, the Musselman surname had spread across various parts of Europe and North America, with many individuals achieving recognition in various fields, such as Johann Musselman (1823-1897), a German-American journalist and politician in Ohio, and Paul Musselman (1885-1961), a Canadian politician and businessman from Ontario.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musselman
Among Census respondents with the surname Musselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Musselman 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 Musselman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 5,647
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 172
- Two or more races2.5% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musselman
Musselman 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
#5,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,306
-69 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 469 places
2020
#5,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,033
-273 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,047 | 6,375 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,516 | 6,306 | 2.14 | -69 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 469 places |
| 2020 | #5,563 | 6,033 | 2.02 | -273 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 47 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 Musselman 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 | #5,516 | #5,563 | -0.9% |
| Count | 6,306 | 6,033 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.02 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musselman bearers went from 6,306 to 6,033 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,516 to #5,563.
FAQ
Musselman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musselman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,918 living Americans carry the surname Musselman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,545 residents.
How common is Musselman?
Musselman ranks #5,563 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 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 6,033 people with the surname Musselman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,918), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 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 Musselman.
Has Musselman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musselman went from 6,306 recorded bearers to 6,033. That is a decrease of 273 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,516 to #5,563.
What does the Census say about the background of Musselman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Musselman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (5,647 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musselman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Musselman (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 Musselman mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a person from Moselle or a person who sold mussels. 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 Musselman (2.02 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 Musselman?
See how many people are called Musselman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.