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

Mejía, 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 Mejía surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mejía in America

Mejía is the 300th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mejía surname appeared 104,057 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 35 people would have the surname Mejía.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mejía 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 Mejía

The surname Mejia is of Spanish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Extremadura, Spain, during the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "mejía," which means "boundary" or "border." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a boundary or border area.

In the early 13th century, the name Mejia can be found in various historical records from Extremadura, such as the Tumbo Prieto de la Catedral de Badajoz, a manuscript containing documents related to the Cathedral of Badajoz. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Juan Mejía, a nobleman who lived in the village of Villanueva de la Serena in the 1240s.

As the name spread throughout Spain, it also found its way to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable early bearer of the name was Hernán Mejía Miraval, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Mejia family had a significant presence in the region of Nueva España (present-day Mexico). Juan Mejía de Sandoval (1595-1668) was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church, serving as Bishop of Chiapas and later as Bishop of Puebla.

Another notable individual with the Mejia surname was José María Mejía (1778-1813), a Mexican military officer who fought against the Spanish during the Mexican War of Independence. He was executed by the Spanish authorities for his role in the rebellion.

In the 19th century, one of the most famous bearers of the Mejia name was Tomás Mejía (1820-1867), a Mexican general who fought in various conflicts, including the Mexican-American War and the Reform War. He was executed by the forces of Emperor Maximilian I after being captured during the Battle of El Cubilete.

The surname Mejia has also been associated with various place names in Spain and Latin America. For example, there is a town called Mejías in the Spanish province of Badajoz, and a municipality called Mejía in the Colombian department of Antioquia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mejía

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

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

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

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