2000
#242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 41.79
Common Last name
Mendez
A Spanish patronymic surname derived from the given name Menendo or Mendo, meaning "strong and brave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 189,924 Americans carry the last name Mendez. That puts it at #155 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 55.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendez 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 Mendez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
190K
1 in 1,805
Census rank
#155
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
55.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 165,623 bearers of the surname Mendez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 55.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendez
The surname Mendez has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "mendez," which means "son of Mendo." Mendo was a common given name during the Middle Ages, originating from the Germanic name "Amund."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mendez surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 10th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Mendez," "Mendes," and "Méndez."
During the 12th century, the Mendez surname was prevalent in the regions of Galicia and Asturias, where it was associated with several noble families. One notable figure from this period was Pedro Mendez de Valdés, a Galician nobleman and military leader who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors.
In the 15th century, the Mendez surname gained prominence with the rise of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, a renowned Spanish statesman, diplomat, and writer. He was born in 1415 in Guadalajara and served as the ambassador to Rome and Venice, among other influential positions.
Another notable individual was Juan de Mendoza y Luna, born in 1490 in Guadalajara, who served as the Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1535 to 1551. He played a crucial role in the Spanish conquest and colonization of the region.
The Mendez surname also has a strong presence in Portugal, where it is often spelled "Mendes." One of the most famous Portuguese figures with this surname was Fernando Mendes Pinto, a 16th-century explorer and writer who traveled extensively throughout Asia and documented his adventures in the book "Peregrinação" (The Travels of Mendes Pinto).
In the New World, the Mendez surname can be traced back to the early Spanish colonizers and explorers who arrived in the Americas. Juan Rodríguez Mendez, born in Seville in 1562, was one of the first settlers in present-day Florida and helped establish the city of St. Augustine in 1565.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendez
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendez 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 Mendez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.0% · 153,992
- White4.8% · 8,009
- Black or African American1.0% · 1,599
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 981
- Two or more races0.3% · 547
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 495
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendez
Mendez 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
#162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161,717
+48,981 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 54.82
Rank movement Up 80 places
2020
#155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165,623
+3,906 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 55.41
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #242 | 112,736 | 41.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #162 | 161,717 | 54.82 | +48,981 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 80 places |
| 2020 | #155 | 165,623 | 55.41 | +3,906 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 7 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 Mendez 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 | #162 | #155 | 4.3% |
| Count | 161,717 | 165,623 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 54.82 | 55.41 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendez bearers went from 161,717 to 165,623 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #162 to #155.
FAQ
Mendez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendez?
Name Census estimates that about 189,924 living Americans carry the surname Mendez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,805 residents.
How common is Mendez?
Mendez ranks #155 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 55.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 55 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 165,623 people with the surname Mendez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (189,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 55.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 55.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 55 of them to have the surname Mendez.
Has Mendez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendez went from 161,717 recorded bearers to 165,623. That is an increase of 3,906 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #162 to #155.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Mendez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (153,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.0%), White (4.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Mendez (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 Mendez mean?
A Spanish patronymic surname derived from the given name Menendo or Mendo, meaning "strong and brave." 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 Mendez (55.41 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 Mendez?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mendez? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.