Find out how popular the last name Mendina is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mendina.

Mendina, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mendina surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mendina in America

Mendina is the 143149th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mendina surname appeared 116 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mendina.

The history of the last name Mendina

The surname MENDINA has its origins in the Spanish region of Navarra. It emerged as a locative name, derived from the place name "Mendiña" or "Mendina," which means "small mountain" or "little hill" in the Basque language. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, when many people started adopting surnames based on their place of origin or residence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MENDINA can be found in the Becerro Galicano, a medieval census-like record of landowners and properties in the Kingdom of Galicia, compiled in the late 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Fernan Mendina," who owned land in the region of Lugo.

In the 14th century, the MENDINA surname appeared in various municipal records and notarial documents from the Basque region, particularly in the provinces of Navarra and Guipúzcoa. One notable example is Juan Mendina de Eguía, a landowner and local official from the town of Azpeitia, who lived in the late 1300s.

During the 15th century, the MENDINA surname spread beyond the Basque Country as people migrated to other parts of Spain and the Spanish Empire. In 1492, a certain Alonso Mendina was among the sailors who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas.

In the 16th century, the name MENDINA gained prominence in the Spanish colony of New Spain (present-day Mexico). Pedro de Mendina, born in 1525 in Seville, Spain, was a conquistador and explorer who led an expedition to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific in 1567.

Another notable figure was Jerónimo de Mendina, a Spanish priest and missionary born in 1558 in Burgos, Spain. He was among the first Jesuits to establish missions in the Philippines in the late 16th century.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the MENDINA surname traveled to different parts of the world, including the Americas, the Philippines, and other Spanish territories. Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Mendiña, Mendinueta, and Mendinueta-Mendina, reflecting regional linguistic influences and local adaptations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mendina

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mendina.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mendina was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mendina was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mendina, please contact us.

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