2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Menager
A surname derived from the French word "ménager," meaning to manage or oversee households or domestic affairs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Menager. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menager 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Menager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menager, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.1%) and Hispanic (9.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menager
The surname Menager is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "mesnager," which means "manager" or "steward." This name originated in the northern regions of France during the medieval period, particularly in Normandy and Picardy.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Menager can be traced back to the 12th century in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres," where a person named Radulfus Mesnager was mentioned in 1160. The name was also found in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Vignory" from the 13th century, referring to a certain Johannes Mesnager.
During the Middle Ages, the Menager name was associated with individuals who held managerial or administrative roles in estates, manors, or ecclesiastical institutions. They were responsible for overseeing the management of resources and personnel, acting as stewards or managers.
One notable bearer of the Menager surname was Jean Menager, a French diplomat and ambassador who lived from 1598 to 1670. He served as the envoy of King Louis XIV to various European courts, including those of Poland and the Ottoman Empire.
Another prominent figure was Nicolas Menager, a French nobleman and military officer who lived from 1588 to 1638. He fought in the Thirty Years' War and was awarded the title of Marquis de Coeuvres for his service.
The Menager name also appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the spelling was slightly different, recorded as "Mesnagier" or "Mesnager."
In the 16th century, the Menager surname was found in the "Registres paroissiaux de Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf" in Normandy, where several families with this name were recorded, possibly originating from the nearby village of Ménager.
Throughout history, the Menager name has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Ménager in Normandy, Ménagerville in Picardy, and Ménagerie in Île-de-France. These places might have derived their names from the Menager surname or vice versa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menager
Among Census respondents with the surname Menager, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.1%) and Hispanic (9.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Menager 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 Menager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 59
- Black or African American30.1% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino9.7% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 5
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menager
Menager appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 8,823 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 Menager 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 | #156,044 | #147,221 | 5.7% |
| Count | 104 | 113 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menager bearers went from 104 to 113 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 8,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,221.
FAQ
Menager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menager?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Menager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Menager?
Menager ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Menager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Menager.
Has Menager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menager went from 104 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Menager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menager, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.1%) and Hispanic (9.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Menager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (59 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Black (30.1%), Hispanic (9.7%). 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 Menager (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 Menager mean?
A surname derived from the French word "ménager," meaning to manage or oversee households or domestic affairs. 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 Menager (0.04 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 are called Menager?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Menager, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.