2000
#4,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Uncommon Last name
Mendes
A patronymic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning "son of Mendo" or "son of Mem."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,792 Americans carry the last name Mendes. That puts it at #3,398 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendes 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 Mendes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,067
Census rank
#3,398
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,283 bearers of the surname Mendes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3398th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (15.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendes
The surname Mendes is a Portuguese name that originated in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga. It likely derives from the Latin word "munda," meaning "clean" or "pure," and may have been initially bestowed upon someone who lived near a clean water source or worked as a cleaner or washer.
The earliest recorded instances of the Mendes surname can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in various Portuguese municipal records and census documents. One notable early bearer of the name was Fernão Mendes, a 13th-century Portuguese nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the reconquest of the Algarve region from the Moors.
In the 14th century, the Mendes surname appeared in several legal documents and property records, such as the Inquirições de D. Afonso III (Inquiries of King Alfonso III), which cataloged landholdings and population figures throughout Portugal.
During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese families with the Mendes surname participated in the colonization efforts and spread the name to various parts of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia.
One of the most famous historical figures with the Mendes surname was Pedro Mendes (1558-1637), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a crucial role in the early exploration and settlement of Newfoundland, Canada.
Other notable individuals with the Mendes surname include:
1. João Mendes de Vasconcelos (1624-1718), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and theologian known for his work on moral theology.
2. Francisco Mendes (1673-1743), a Portuguese painter and engraver who worked in the Baroque style.
3. Manuel Mendes da Conceição Santos (1876-1949), a Portuguese politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1923 to 1925.
4. José Mendes Cabeçadas (1888-1965), a Portuguese military officer and politician who served as the President of Portugal from 1925 to 1926.
5. Murilo Mendes (1901-1975), a renowned Brazilian poet and one of the pioneers of the Brazilian Modernist movement in literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendes
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (15.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendes 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 Mendes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.8% · 5,736
- Hispanic or Latino20.5% · 2,112
- Black or African American15.4% · 1,583
- Two or more races4.9% · 500
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 319
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendes
Mendes 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
#3,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,162
+2,128 bearers (+26.5%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Up 563 places
2020
#3,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,283
+121 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Up 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,077 | 8,034 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,514 | 10,162 | 3.44 | +2,128 bearers (+26.5%) | Up 563 places |
| 2020 | #3,398 | 10,283 | 3.44 | +121 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 116 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 Mendes 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 | #3,514 | #3,398 | 3.3% |
| Count | 10,162 | 10,283 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.44 | 3.44 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendes bearers went from 10,162 to 10,283 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,514 to #3,398.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mendes
FAQ
Mendes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendes?
Name Census estimates that about 11,792 living Americans carry the surname Mendes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,067 residents.
How common is Mendes?
Mendes ranks #3,398 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,283 people with the surname Mendes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mendes.
Has Mendes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendes went from 10,162 recorded bearers to 10,283. That is an increase of 121 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,514 to #3,398.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.5%) and Black (15.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mendes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (5,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.8%), Hispanic (20.5%), Black (15.4%). 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 Mendes (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 Mendes mean?
A patronymic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning "son of Mendo" or "son of Mem." 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 Mendes (3.44 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 Mendes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.