2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mendaros
Likely a Spanish or Portuguese topographic surname referring to one living near thickets or brambles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Mendaros. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendaros 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Mendaros in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendaros, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendaros
The surname Mendaros is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Basque words "mendi," meaning mountain, and "aros," meaning pasture or grazing land.
Mendaros was likely an occupational surname initially given to those who worked as shepherds or graziers in the mountainous regions of the Basque Country. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in a document from the village of Sare in the Pyrenees.
In the 14th century, the name Mendaros was found in various records from the Kingdom of Navarre, which encompassed parts of modern-day Spain and France. One notable individual from this time was Juan de Mendaros, a merchant who traded goods between the Basque ports and other parts of Europe.
During the 15th century, the Mendaros family expanded their influence, and some members became landowners and officials in the local government. One such figure was Pedro Mendaros, who served as the mayor of the town of Lesaka in the late 1400s.
As the Basque people migrated to other regions, the surname Mendaros spread across Europe and beyond. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, and there are records of a Catalina Mendaros who was one of the earliest Spanish settlers in what is now Mexico City.
Another notable figure was Miguel Mendaros, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in the 1530s. He was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Cajamarca, where the Spanish forces defeated the Inca ruler Atahualpa.
As the centuries passed, the Mendaros surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the migrations and diaspora of the Basque people. While not a common surname, it has persisted as a link to the rich cultural heritage and history of the Basque region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendaros
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendaros, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendaros 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 Mendaros surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.3% · 87
- White13.1% · 14
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendaros
Mendaros 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,498 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 Mendaros 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 | #144,141 | #151,639 | -5.2% |
| Count | 115 | 107 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendaros bearers went from 115 to 107 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #151,639.
FAQ
Mendaros surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendaros?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Mendaros. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Mendaros?
Mendaros ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Mendaros. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Mendaros.
Has Mendaros become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendaros went from 115 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendaros?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendaros, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mendaros in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendaros appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.3%), White (13.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mendaros (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 Mendaros mean?
Likely a Spanish or Portuguese topographic surname referring to one living near thickets or brambles. 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 Mendaros (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 common is the surname Mendaros?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Mendaros is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.