2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Musty
A surname derived from the Old French word "mustier," meaning moldy or musty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Musty. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musty 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Musty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Musty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musty, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musty
The surname "MUSTY" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "mustig," which means "musty" or "stale-smelling." This term was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in damp or poorly ventilated conditions.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a person named Richard Musty is listed. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 14th century, particularly in the West Midlands region of England.
In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various records across different counties in England, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1451, where a John Musty is mentioned. The name was also found in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1487, which recorded a transaction involving a Thomas Musty.
During the 16th century, the surname underwent some variations in spelling, including "Mustie" and "Mustye." One notable bearer of the name was John Mustie, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1520 and later became a Protestant martyr, being burned at the stake in 1557 during the reign of Queen Mary I.
In the 17th century, the surname continued to be documented in various parish records and other historical documents. For instance, the Hearth Tax records of 1662 for Staffordshire listed a William Musty as a householder in the town of Wolverhampton.
Another notable figure with the surname was Thomas Musty, a merchant and landowner who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 17th century. He was involved in several legal disputes over property rights and left a substantial estate upon his death in 1698.
In the 18th century, the surname appeared in various genealogical records and parish registers across England. One notable bearer was John Musty, a clockmaker born in London in 1723, who became well-known for his intricate and ornate clocks.
As the surname spread throughout England and beyond, it inevitably underwent further variations in spelling, including "Musti," "Mustey," and "Mustye." However, the original spelling of "MUSTY" remained the most common form throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musty
Among Census respondents with the surname Musty, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Musty 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 Musty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.4% · 13
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musty
Musty 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,590 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,590 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,852 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 Musty 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 | #148,347 | #146,495 | 1.2% |
| Count | 111 | 114 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musty bearers went from 111 to 114 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #146,495.
FAQ
Musty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musty?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Musty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Musty?
Musty ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Musty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Musty.
Has Musty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musty went from 111 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Musty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musty, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Musty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Musty (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 Musty mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "mustier," meaning moldy or musty. 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 Musty (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 Americans have the surname Musty?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.