2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mandera
A surname possibly deriving from the Spanish town of Mandera or a variant spelling of the Italian surname "Mandra".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Mandera. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mandera 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Mandera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mandera, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mandera
The surname Mandera is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the region of Calabria, located in the southern part of the Italian peninsula. The name is derived from the Latin word "mandria," which means "herd" or "flock," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in pastoral activities or livestock management.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mandera surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval charters and documents related to the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, Italy, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Manderius" and "Manderio," reflecting the evolution of spelling over time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guglielmo Mandera emerged as a prominent landowner and nobleman in the town of Scalea, located in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. Records indicate that he played a significant role in the local affairs of the region during that period.
The surname Mandera also has connections to place names, particularly in southern Italy. For example, the town of Mandera in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, is believed to have derived its name from the surname, possibly indicating that the area was once inhabited or owned by a family bearing this name.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Mandera have achieved recognition in various fields. One such individual was Giovanni Battista Mandera (1565-1638), a renowned Italian architect who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings in Naples and its surrounding areas.
Another notable figure was Cesare Mandera (1624-1699), an Italian painter and engraver from Naples, known for his religious works and contributions to the Baroque art movement.
In the realm of literature, Antonio Mandera (1789-1854) was an Italian poet and playwright from Calabria, whose works often explored themes of love, nature, and social commentary.
The surname Mandera also found its way into the military ranks, with Vincenzo Mandera (1812-1887), an Italian general who served in the Risorgimento, the 19th-century movement that led to the unification of Italy.
Lastly, Giuseppe Mandera (1876-1957) was an Italian architect and engineer, known for his work on various public buildings and infrastructure projects in the early 20th century.
While the surname Mandera has its origins in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by generations of migrants and descendants. However, the historical roots and earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the southern regions of Italy, where it emerged as a reflection of the pastoral and agricultural traditions of the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mandera
Among Census respondents with the surname Mandera, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mandera 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 Mandera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 8
- Black or African American4.5% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mandera
Mandera 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+16 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,783 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 6,783 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,726 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 Mandera 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 | #139,228 | #147,954 | -6.3% |
| Count | 120 | 112 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mandera bearers went from 120 to 112 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,726 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,954.
FAQ
Mandera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mandera?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Mandera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Mandera?
Mandera ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Mandera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mandera.
Has Mandera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mandera went from 120 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Mandera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mandera, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mandera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mandera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Hispanic (8.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). 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 Mandera (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 Mandera mean?
A surname possibly deriving from the Spanish town of Mandera or a variant spelling of the Italian surname "Mandra". 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 Mandera (0.04 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 Mandera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.