2000
#16,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Membreno
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Membreño, likely referring to an ancestor's origin in that location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,952 Americans carry the last name Membreno. That puts it at #9,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Membreno 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
4.0K
1 in 86,729
Census rank
#9,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,446 bearers of the surname Membreno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Membreno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Membreno
The surname MEMBRENO is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the word "miembro," meaning "member" or "limb," and the suffix "-eno," which was commonly used to indicate origin or place. This suggests that the name might have initially referred to an individual who had a distinctive physical feature or was associated with a particular place.
The earliest known record of the surname MEMBRENO dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in several historical documents from the Kingdom of Castile. One notable mention is found in the "Libro de las Behetrías" from 1352, which documented landholdings and feudal obligations in the region.
During the 15th century, the name MEMBRENO gained prominence with the rise of the influential Membreno family in the city of Toledo. This family played a significant role in the region's political and cultural affairs, with several members holding important positions in the local government and religious institutions.
In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernán Membreno (c. 1490-1555) gained notoriety for his expeditions to the New World. He accompanied Hernán Cortés on the conquest of Mexico and later participated in the exploration and colonization of present-day Guatemala.
Another notable figure bearing the surname MEMBRENO was Juan Membreno (1545-1612), a Spanish playwright and poet from Seville. His works, such as "La Pastoral de Jacinto," were widely acclaimed during the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
In the 18th century, the MEMBRENO surname appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where several individuals were documented for their involvement in religious trials and proceedings.
The name MEMBRENO has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as the municipality of Membreno in the province of Cáceres, which likely derived its name from the surname itself.
Over the centuries, the MEMBRENO surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Membreno, Membreno, and Membreño, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Membreno
Among Census respondents with the surname Membreno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Membreno 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 Membreno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.0% · 3,309
- White3.2% · 110
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Membreno
Membreno 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
#10,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,898
+1,294 bearers (+80.7%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 5,517 places
2020
#9,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,446
+548 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 1,865 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,494 | 1,604 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,977 | 2,898 | 0.98 | +1,294 bearers (+80.7%) | Up 5,517 places |
| 2020 | #9,112 | 3,446 | 1.15 | +548 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 1,865 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 Membreno 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 | #10,977 | #9,112 | 17.0% |
| Count | 2,898 | 3,446 | 18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 1.15 | 17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Membreno bearers went from 2,898 to 3,446 (+18.9% change). The surname moved up 1,865 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,977 to #9,112.
FAQ
Membreno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Membreno?
Name Census estimates that about 3,952 living Americans carry the surname Membreno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,729 residents.
How common is Membreno?
Membreno ranks #9,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,446 people with the surname Membreno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Membreno.
Has Membreno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Membreno went from 2,898 recorded bearers to 3,446. That is an increase of 548 (+18.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,977 to #9,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Membreno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Membreno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Membreno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (3,309 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Membreno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.0%), White (3.2%), Black (0.4%). 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 Membreno (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 Membreno mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Membreño, likely referring to an ancestor's origin in that location. 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 Membreno (1.15 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 people have the last name Membreno?
See how common the surname Membreno is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.