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

Melgarejo, 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 Melgarejo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Melgarejo in America

Melgarejo is the 15947th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Melgarejo surname appeared 1,822 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Melgarejo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Melgarejo 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 Melgarejo

The surname MELGAREJO originated in Spain and is of Spanish origin. It is derived from the words "melga" meaning a strip of cultivated land and "rejo" meaning a plough, indicating the name's connection to agriculture and rural life. The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 15th century.

Records show that in 1492, a Diego MELGAREJO was among the conquistadors who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the Americas. The name is also found in the Catalonian region of Spain, where it was spelled MELGAREGIO in some old manuscripts.

During the 16th century, the MELGAREJO family established themselves as landowners and farmers in the region of Extremadura, Spain. One notable figure was Juan MELGAREJO (1523-1588), who was a prominent agriculturist and inventor of an early prototype of the plow.

In the 17th century, the name spread to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Miguel MELGAREJO (1634-1693) was a soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile and founded the settlement of Melgarejo, now known as San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.

Another significant figure was Mariano MELGAREJO (1820-1871), who served as the 16th President of Bolivia from 1864 to 1871. He was a controversial figure known for his ruthless rule and violent suppression of opposition.

In the 19th century, a branch of the MELGAREJO family migrated to Mexico, where they continued to be involved in agriculture and landholding. José MELGAREJO (1845-1914) was a prominent landowner and businessman in the state of Jalisco.

Throughout history, the surname MELGAREJO has been associated with farming, land ownership, and occasionally military and political roles, reflecting its roots in rural Spain and the contributions of various individuals bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Melgarejo

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

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

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

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