2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Menary
A surname derived from the Old French word "mennier" meaning miller or one who works at a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Menary. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menary 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 Menary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Menary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menary
The surname Menary is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning "pool" or "lake" and "ey" meaning "island." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the region of Worcestershire, England.
Menary is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived near a pool or lake on an island. In medieval times, such descriptive surnames were commonly adopted to distinguish individuals from others living in the same area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Menary surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1195, where a John de Mereney is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established by the end of the 12th century.
The Menary surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a Thomas de Mereneye is listed. This indicates that the name had spread to other regions of England by the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the Menary surname was William Menary (c. 1530-1600), a merchant and landowner from Worcestershire. He is recorded as having been involved in the wool trade and owning substantial property in the area.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Menary (1610-1678), a lawyer and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and was knighted by Oliver Cromwell in 1657.
During the 17th century, the spelling of the surname began to stabilize as Menary, although variations such as Mereneye, Merenay, and Merenye were still found in some records.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Menary name was Elizabeth Menary (1735-1810), a writer and poet from Worcestershire. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her works celebrating nature and the countryside.
Another individual of note was Thomas Menary (1780-1856), a successful businessman and landowner from Gloucestershire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a school for underprivileged children.
The Menary surname has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to immigration from England. However, the bulk of historical records and notable bearers of the name can be traced back to the Worcestershire region of England, where the surname originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menary
Among Census respondents with the surname Menary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Menary 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 Menary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menary
Menary 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-13 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,648 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 22,648 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,702 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 Menary 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 | #154,907 | #150,205 | 3.0% |
| Count | 105 | 109 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menary bearers went from 105 to 109 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,205.
FAQ
Menary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menary?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Menary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Menary?
Menary ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Menary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Menary.
Has Menary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menary went from 105 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Menary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Menary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Menary (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 Menary mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "mennier" meaning miller or one who works at a mill. 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 Menary (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 have the surname Menary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.