2000
#10,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,783
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Mancha
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from La Mancha, a historical region in central Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,698 Americans carry the last name Mancha. That puts it at #9,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mancha 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.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,686
Census rank
#9,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,225 bearers of the surname Mancha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mancha, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mancha
The surname "MANCHA" is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It derives from the Spanish word "mancha," meaning "stain" or "blemish," potentially referring to a physical characteristic or location associated with the family's ancestry.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname can be found in the "Anales Toledanos," a medieval chronicle detailing the history of Toledo, Spain. The name appears in records dating back to the 13th century, indicating its long-standing presence in the region.
The name "MANCHA" is closely tied to the region of La Mancha, a vast plateau located in central Spain. Historical records suggest that the surname may have originated from individuals residing in or associated with this area, particularly during the time of the Reconquista, when Christian kingdoms were reclaiming territories from Moorish rule.
In the 16th century, the name gained literary prominence through Miguel de Cervantes' iconic novel, "Don Quixote de la Mancha." The protagonist, Don Quixote, and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, hailed from the region of La Mancha, contributing to the surname's enduring association with Spanish culture and literature.
Notable individuals bearing the surname "MANCHA" include:
1. Rodrigo Mancha (born c. 1235), a prominent military leader during the Reconquista who served under Alfonso X of Castile.
2. María de la Mancha (c. 1490-1560), a Spanish noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her role in the construction of the Convent of Santa Clara in Cuenca.
3. Juan de la Mancha (c. 1530-1592), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Yucatán Peninsula and served as the first governor of Mérida.
4. Juana Mancha (c. 1610-1680), a renowned Spanish painter and one of the few female artists of her time to achieve recognition for her religious works.
5. Pedro Mancha y Cabrera (1770-1845), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1823 to 1824.
While the surname "MANCHA" has its origins in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange, carrying with it a rich historical legacy deeply rooted in the Spanish language, literature, and medieval past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mancha
Among Census respondents with the surname Mancha, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mancha 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 Mancha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 2,834
- White9.1% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 32
- Black or African American0.8% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Two or more races0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mancha
Mancha 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
#9,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,248
+465 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 646 places
2020
#9,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,225
-23 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 304 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,578 | 2,783 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,932 | 3,248 | 1.10 | +465 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 646 places |
| 2020 | #9,628 | 3,225 | 1.08 | -23 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 304 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 Mancha 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 | #9,932 | #9,628 | 3.1% |
| Count | 3,248 | 3,225 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.08 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mancha bearers went from 3,248 to 3,225 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 304 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,932 to #9,628.
FAQ
Mancha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mancha?
Name Census estimates that about 3,698 living Americans carry the surname Mancha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,686 residents.
How common is Mancha?
Mancha ranks #9,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,225 people with the surname Mancha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mancha.
Has Mancha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mancha went from 3,248 recorded bearers to 3,225. That is a decrease of 23 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,932 to #9,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Mancha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mancha, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mancha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,834 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mancha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), White (9.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mancha (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 Mancha mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from La Mancha, a historical region in central Spain. 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 Mancha (1.08 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 people have the surname Mancha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.