Explore the Family Name Muench
The meaning of Muench
German (Münch): nickname for someone of monkish habits or appearance, or an occupational name for a servant employed at a monastery, from Middle High German münich ‘monk’ (from Latin monachus). Compare Munch. History: Friedrich Münch (Muench), pastor and humanist, was born in Niedergründen, Hesse, in 1799. In 1833, after being involved in the failed revolution of 1832, he fled Germany for America, where he became one of the founders of the state of Missouri. Largely as a result of his personal popularity and rhetorical skills, the state of Missouri did not intervene in the Civil War on the side of the South. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Arno, Ernst, Hans, Konrad, Lothar, Bernd, Christoph, Ewald, Fritz, Gerhardt, Guenter.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Muench in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Muench" has slightly declined in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 10881 in terms of common use, but fell to 11743 by 2010, a drop of approximately 7.92%. The total count of people with this surname also saw a minor decrease from 2686 to 2668 during this time period. Furthermore, when looking at the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 people, there was a 10% decrease from 1.0 in 2000 to 0.9 in 2010.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | #10,881 | #11,743 | -7.92% |
Count | 2,686 | 2,668 | -0.67% |
Proportion per 100k | 1 | 0.9 | -10% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Muench
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows an interesting shift for the Muench surname between 2000 and 2010. The largest ethnic identity associated with this name remains White, although there was a slight decline of about 1.4% during this decade. On the other hand, individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity with this surname significantly increased by 186.67%, while those who identify as Hispanic increased by 73.15%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category also showed growth at 68.18%. However, there were decreases amongst individuals identifying with two or more races and those identified as Black.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 97.39% | 96.03% | -1.4% |
Hispanic | 1.08% | 1.87% | 73.15% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.86% | 186.67% |
Two or More Races | 0.74% | 0.64% | -13.51% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.22% | 0.37% | 68.18% |
Black | 0.26% | 0.22% | -15.38% |
Muench ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Muench is French & German, which comprises 40.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (33.6%) and Eastern European (8.5%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Chinese, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
---|---|
French & German | 40.5% |
British & Irish | 33.6% |
Eastern European | 8.5% |
Other | 17.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Muench
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Muench have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland.
RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
---|---|
Greater London, United Kingdom | 65.10% |
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 65.10% |
Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 65.10% |
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 63.90% |
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 63.90% |
What Muench haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Muench is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Muench surname are: N, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Muench have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Traits
Habits
Wellness
Are health conditions linked to the last name Muench?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Muench are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition