Find out how popular the last name Musser is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Musser.

Musser, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Musser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Musser in America

Musser is the 3615th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Musser surname appeared 9,820 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Musser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Musser to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Musser

The surname Musser originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Muß," which means "must" or "obligation," and was likely an occupational name for someone who collected tithes or taxes.

The earliest known record of the Musser name is found in the town of Rottweil, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, where a Johann Musser was documented in 1548. The name also appears in records from the nearby town of Haigerloch, where a Hans Musser was listed in 1572.

As the Musser family spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, the name took on various spellings, such as Mußer, Muser, and Mussert. In the 17th century, the name began to appear in Swiss records, particularly in the canton of Bern, where a family of Mussers settled in the village of Kirchlindach.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the Musser name was Johann Musser (1624-1701), a prominent Anabaptist leader and minister in the Palatinate region of Germany. He was persecuted for his religious beliefs and eventually fled to the Netherlands.

In the 18th century, many Mussers emigrated from Germany and Switzerland to the British colonies in North America, seeking religious freedom and economic opportunities. One of the earliest arrivals was Jacob Musser (1708-1770), who settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the 1730s.

Other notable Mussers throughout history include:

1. Johann Georg Musser (1770-1835), a German-American merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania.
2. Amos Musser (1808-1882), a prominent Mennonite bishop and founder of the Old Order Mennonite community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
3. Benjamin Musser (1832-1896), an American businessman and co-founder of the Musser Lumber Company in Indiana.
4. Rudolph Musser (1853-1935), a Swiss-American architect who designed numerous churches and public buildings in Pennsylvania.
5. John Musser (1858-1922), an American politician and businessman who served as the 31st Governor of New Mexico from 1905 to 1907.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Musser

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Musser.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Musser was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Musser has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Musser was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Musser, please contact us.

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