Mix
A name that likely began as a nickname for someone associated with mixing or blending, though its exact surname origin is not fully certain.
The #6,370 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,774 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from the English verb "to mix," ultimately from Old English roots meaning "to mingle" or "blend." In surname use, it may have started as a nickname for someone who mixed ingredients, materials, or people in some occupation or habit. Because the historical evidence is thin, the exact route from word to surname is not certain.
History
The name is well attested in modern English-speaking populations, especially in the United States. Historical surname dictionaries mention it only indirectly, which suggests it was not one of the major medieval English surnames discussed in detail, or that its origin was already obscure to later writers. Related forms such as Mixer and Mixter appear in North American records as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname sits in a small family of short, punchy names that sometimes later generated expanded forms like Mixer and Mixter.
From the historical record
“MASH (Eng.) i meton. for Mash-Maker [der. of O.E. miscian, to mix] 2 for Marsh, q.v. MASKALL^ MASKELlU. Mascall, &c.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)