Find out how popular the last name Maldonado is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maldonado.

Maldonado, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maldonado surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maldonado in America

Maldonado is the 249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maldonado surname appeared 121,526 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 41 people would have the surname Maldonado.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maldonado to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maldonado

The surname Maldonado is of Spanish origin, derived from the combination of two words: "mal" meaning "bad" and "donado" meaning "gifted" or "endowed." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as a descriptive name referring to someone who was considered ill-endowed or lacking in certain qualities.

The surname is thought to have originated in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. It is closely associated with the town of Maldonado, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, which may have been the place of origin for some families bearing this surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Maldonado can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The text mentions a knight named Pedro Maldonado who participated in royal hunting expeditions.

In the 16th century, the name Maldonado gained prominence with the explorer and conquistador Rodrigo de Maldonado, who was born in Salamanca around 1497. He participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés and later became a prominent figure in the exploration and settlement of Central America.

Another notable individual with the surname Maldonado was Alonso Maldonado, a Spanish navigator and explorer who lived in the late 16th century. In 1588, he commanded an expedition to the Strait of Anian, now known as the Bering Strait, in search of a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean.

During the colonial era, the Maldonado surname was carried to various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas and the Philippines. One prominent figure was Nicolás Maldonado, a Spanish soldier and explorer who was born in Salamanca in 1529. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Philippines and was appointed as the first Spanish governor of the island of Mindanao.

In the realm of literature, Juan Maldonado was a renowned Spanish Jesuit and theologian who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Casas de la Reina, Extremadura, in 1533 and is known for his contributions to biblical exegesis and his defense of the Catholic doctrine against the Protestant Reformation.

These examples highlight the historical significance and widespread use of the surname Maldonado across various fields, from exploration and conquest to literature and theology, reflecting its Spanish roots and the global reach of the Spanish Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maldonado

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maldonado.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maldonado was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maldonado has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maldonado was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maldonado, please contact us.

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