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

Meja, 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 Meja surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meja in America

Meja is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meja surname appeared 153 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 Meja.

The history of the last name Meja

The surname MEJA has its origins in the Spanish language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the word "mej" or "meja," which means "boundary" or "border" in Old Spanish. This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who lived near or guarded territorial boundaries or borders.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname MEJA can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in the regions of Andalusia and Castile. It is likely that the name originated as a descriptive term for those who resided or worked along the borderlands between Christian and Moorish territories during the Reconquista, the centuries-long period of Christian conquest and expansion in the Iberian Peninsula.

One notable bearer of the MEJA surname was Juan de Meja, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in the expeditions of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in the late 15th century. Another prominent figure was Pedro de Meja, a 16th-century Spanish conquistador who played a role in the conquest of Central America and the establishment of Spanish settlements in the region.

In the 17th century, the MEJA surname appears in records from the city of Seville, where it was associated with families involved in trade and commerce. One such individual was Diego de Meja, a merchant and landowner who lived from 1625 to 1698.

The surname also has connections to the Spanish colonial presence in the Philippines. In the early 18th century, a Spanish military officer named Rodrigo de Meja was stationed in the Philippines and is mentioned in historical accounts of the time.

During the 19th century, the MEJA surname gained recognition through the works of the Spanish playwright and poet José de Meja, who was born in 1808 and is considered a prominent figure in the Romantic literary movement in Spain.

Throughout its history, the surname MEJA has been associated with various regions of Spain, including Andalusia, Castile, and Seville, as well as the Spanish colonial presence in the Americas and the Philippines. While its origins are rooted in the border regions of medieval Spain, the name has since spread and been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meja

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

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 Meja 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.

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

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

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