2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Musterman
A German surname derived from "muster" meaning model or template, implying an ideal or standard man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Musterman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musterman 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Musterman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musterman
The surname "MUSTERMAN" is a German surname that originated in the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "muster" and "man," which together translate to "model man" or "exemplary man." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive term or nickname to someone who was considered a role model or an upstanding member of the community.
The earliest known record of the surname "MUSTERMAN" dates back to 1492 in the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Musterman is mentioned in a tax record. It is possible that the name was already in use before this date, as record-keeping was not always consistent during that period.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname "MUSTERMAN" began to appear in various regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Saxony. Some notable individuals with this surname from that time include Johann Musterman (1543-1612), a Lutheran pastor in Leipzig, and Anna Musterman (1587-1648), a midwife in the town of Regensburg.
By the 18th century, the surname had spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. One prominent figure from this period was the Dutch painter Pieter Musterman (1712-1789), whose landscapes and portraits were highly regarded in his time.
In the 19th century, as emigration from Europe to the Americas and other parts of the world became more common, the surname "MUSTERMAN" started to appear in various countries. For instance, there are records of a family by the name of Musterman settling in Pennsylvania, United States, in the 1830s.
Among the notable individuals with the surname "MUSTERMAN" in more recent history are the German novelist and playwright Hermann Musterman (1856-1931), the Austrian mathematician and philosopher Rudolf Musterman (1879-1953), and the American physicist and Nobel laureate Robert Musterman (1912-1997).
While the surname "MUSTERMAN" is not among the most common surnames in the world, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple countries, reflecting the geographical and cultural diversity of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musterman
Among Census respondents with the surname Musterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Musterman 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 Musterman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musterman
Musterman 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Musterman 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musterman bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Musterman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musterman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Musterman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Musterman?
Musterman ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Musterman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Musterman.
Has Musterman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musterman went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Musterman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Musterman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musterman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Musterman (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 Musterman mean?
A German surname derived from "muster" meaning model or template, implying an ideal or standard man. 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 Musterman (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Musterman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.