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

Medalla, 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 Medalla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Medalla in America

Medalla is the 110825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Medalla surname appeared 159 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Medalla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Medalla 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 Medalla

The surname Medalla originated in Spain during the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "medalla," which means medal or coin. The name likely referred to someone who worked with medals, coins, or lived near a place where medals or coins were made.

The earliest known record of the Medalla surname dates back to 1492, when a person named Juan Medalla was mentioned in a document from the city of Seville. This document recorded the names of individuals who participated in the reconquest of Granada from the Moors.

In the 16th century, the Medalla family was prominent in the region of Catalonia, particularly in the city of Barcelona. Notable individuals from this time period include Jaume Medalla (1525-1592), a renowned goldsmith and medal maker, and Maria Medalla (1548-1612), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist.

During the 17th century, the Medalla name appeared in various parts of Spain, including Madrid and Andalusia. One significant figure was Diego Medalla (1621-1687), a military officer who fought in the Thirty Years' War and later became a governor in the Spanish colonies of the Americas.

In the 18th century, the Medalla family had members who migrated to different parts of the Spanish empire, including Mexico and the Philippines. One notable individual was Antonio Medalla (1734-1805), a merchant and ship captain who sailed between Mexico and the Philippines, contributing to the trade and cultural exchange between the two regions.

As the Spanish empire expanded, the Medalla surname also spread to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, there were Medalla families recorded in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and parts of South America. One prominent figure was Ramón Medalla (1812-1887), a Cuban-born military leader who fought for the independence of Cuba from Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Medalla

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

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 Medalla 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 Medalla 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 Medalla was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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