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

Medina, 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 Medina surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Medina in America

Medina is the 133rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Medina surname appeared 188,497 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 64 people would have the surname Medina.

We can also compare 2010 data for Medina 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 Medina

The surname Medina originated in Spain and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Arabic word "madinat," meaning "city" or "town." This name was likely given to someone who lived in or near a prominent city, possibly Medina in Saudi Arabia, which was an important religious center for Muslims.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Medina surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document detailing the distribution of land and property in Seville after the city was conquered by the Christian forces of King Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Medina, suggesting that the name was already in use by that time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the Medina surname was Pedro Medina, a Spanish cartographer and navigator who produced important maps and navigational charts. He was born around 1493 and played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of the New World.

Another prominent individual with the Medina surname was Juan de Medina, a Spanish Renaissance poet and humanist who lived during the 16th century. He was born in Seville around 1490 and gained recognition for his literary works, including poems and translations of classical texts.

In the 17th century, Diego de Medina y Bañuelos was a Spanish playwright and poet who contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was born in Madrid in 1610 and is best known for his plays and autos sacramentales (religious dramas).

During the 18th century, Juan Medina Rendón was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1768 to 1771. He was born in Seville in 1716 and played a significant role in the development and defense of the island during his tenure as governor.

The surname Medina has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Medina del Campo, Medina de Rioseco, and Medina-Sidonia, further reinforcing its connection to urban settlements and cities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Medina

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!