Explore the Family Name Mess
The meaning of Mess
1. South German: possibly a metonymic occupational name for a brazier, from Middle High German mess(e) ‘brass’. 2. Scottish (Aberdeenshire): unexplained. 3. Americanized or Germanized form of Slovenian Mes: unexplained.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Mess in the United States?
According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Mess" saw a dip between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 30,791st in terms of frequency, but by 2010, it had fallen to 35,945th, a decrease of 16.74%. The number of people with this surname also decreased during this period, from 714 to 624, marking a 12.61% drop. Furthermore, the proportion per 100,000 people also diminished from 0.26 in 2000 to 0.21 in 2010, representing a change of -19.23%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,791 | #35,945 | -16.74% |
| Count | 714 | 624 | -12.61% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.26 | 0.21 | -19.23% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mess
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows certain shifts between 2000 and 2010. For instance, there was a slight increase in the percentage of individuals with the Mess surname who identify as White, moving from 94.26% in 2000 to 95.51% in 2010. Interestingly, the data for 2010 records a small fraction (0.80%) of individuals with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, a category that had no representation in 2000. Similarly, the count of those identifying as Black saw a modest increase from 1.54% to 1.60%. Conversely, the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic experienced a significant decrease of 33.83%, falling from 2.66% in 2000 to 1.76% in 2010. The data for those identifying with two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native were either suppressed or remained unchanged.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.26% | 95.51% | 1.33% |
| Hispanic | 2.66% | 1.76% | -33.83% |
| Black | 1.54% | 1.6% | 3.9% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.8% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0.84% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |