2000
#448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,534
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.66
Common Last name
Mejia
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Mexía, derived from the Basque word "mesia" meaning "temple."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127,046 Americans carry the last name Mejia. That puts it at #276 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 37.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mejia 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mejia with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127K
1 in 2,698
Census rank
#276
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
37.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110,790 bearers of the surname Mejia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 37.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 276th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mejia
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mejia
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mejia 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 Mejia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.9% · 104,060
- White3.6% · 3,962
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 1,539
- Black or African American0.6% · 690
- Two or more races0.3% · 333
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 206
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mejia
Mejia 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
#300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104,057
+37,523 bearers (+56.4%)
Per 100,000 35.28
Rank movement Up 148 places
2020
#276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110,790
+6,733 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 37.07
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #448 | 66,534 | 24.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #300 | 104,057 | 35.28 | +37,523 bearers (+56.4%) | Up 148 places |
| 2020 | #276 | 110,790 | 37.07 | +6,733 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 24 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 Mejia 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 | #300 | #276 | 8.0% |
| Count | 104,057 | 110,790 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 35.28 | 37.07 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mejia bearers went from 104,057 to 110,790 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #300 to #276.
FAQ
Mejia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mejia?
Name Census estimates that about 127,046 living Americans carry the surname Mejia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698 residents.
How common is Mejia?
Mejia ranks #276 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 37.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110,790 people with the surname Mejia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 37.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 37.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Mejia.
Has Mejia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mejia went from 104,057 recorded bearers to 110,790. That is an increase of 6,733 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #300 to #276.
What does the Census say about the background of Mejia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mejia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (104,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mejia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.9%), White (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Mejia (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 Mejia mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Mexía, derived from the Basque word "mesia" meaning "temple." 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 Mejia (37.07 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 Americans have the surname Mejia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.