2000
#8,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,499
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Mejias
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "millius," meaning "soldier" or "knight."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,685 Americans carry the last name Mejias. That puts it at #6,561 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mejias 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.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,291
Census rank
#6,561
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,958 bearers of the surname Mejias in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6561st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mejias
The surname Mejias has its origins in Spain, traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "mejia," which means "cheekbone" or "jawbone." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with prominent cheekbones or a distinguishing jawline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mejias can be found in the census records of the town of Seville, Spain, dated 1492. The name appeared as "Mexías," which was a common spelling variation during that time period. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region of Andalusia, where Seville is located.
Historical records indicate that a notable bearer of the surname Mejias was Pedro Mejías, a Spanish soldier who fought alongside Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Mejías was born in Seville around 1495 and participated in the famous Siege of Tenochtitlan, which led to the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Another prominent figure with the surname Mejias was Baltasar Mejías, a Spanish playwright and poet from the 17th century. He was born in Madrid in 1616 and is best known for his satirical works that criticized the societal norms and political climate of his time.
In the 18th century, a man named Juan Mejías gained recognition as a skilled architect and engineer. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects in the city of Cádiz, Spain, where he was born in 1723.
Moving into the 19th century, Francisco Mejías Asensio (1828-1898) was a Spanish painter and art professor. He was born in Seville and is remembered for his contributions to the development of the Sevillian School of Painting, as well as his role in establishing one of the first art academies in the region.
Lastly, Manuel Mejías Rapela (1905-1997) was a renowned Spanish flamenco singer and guitarist. Born in Seville, he was instrumental in popularizing and preserving the traditional flamenco art form, and his recordings and performances have had a lasting impact on the genre.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mejias
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mejias 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 Mejias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.4% · 4,533
- White6.2% · 307
- Black or African American1.4% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 38
- Two or more races0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mejias
Mejias 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
#7,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,472
+973 bearers (+27.8%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 1,197 places
2020
#6,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,958
+486 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Up 889 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,647 | 3,499 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,450 | 4,472 | 1.52 | +973 bearers (+27.8%) | Up 1,197 places |
| 2020 | #6,561 | 4,958 | 1.66 | +486 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 889 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 Mejias 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 | #7,450 | #6,561 | 11.9% |
| Count | 4,472 | 4,958 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.66 | 9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mejias bearers went from 4,472 to 4,958 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 889 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,450 to #6,561.
FAQ
Mejias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mejias?
Name Census estimates that about 5,685 living Americans carry the surname Mejias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,291 residents.
How common is Mejias?
Mejias ranks #6,561 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,958 people with the surname Mejias. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,685), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mejias.
Has Mejias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mejias went from 4,472 recorded bearers to 4,958. That is an increase of 486 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,450 to #6,561.
What does the Census say about the background of Mejias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mejias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Black (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 Mejias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (4,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mejias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.4%), White (6.2%), Black (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 Mejias (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 Mejias mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "millius," meaning "soldier" or "knight." 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 Mejias (1.66 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 common is the surname Mejias?
If you just want to know how common the surname Mejias is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.