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

Mendivil, 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 Mendivil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mendivil in America

Mendivil is the 12525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mendivil surname appeared 2,474 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mendivil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mendivil to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mendivil

The surname Mendivil has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque words "mendi" meaning mountain and "ibil" meaning walk or travel. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in or traveled through mountainous areas.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, appearing in various medieval records and manuscripts from the Basque Country. One notable example is found in the cartulary of the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, where a certain Sancho Mendivil is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the year 1187.

In the 14th century, the name Mendivil appears in the Codex de Avellaneda, an important historical document from the region of Navarre. This suggests that by this time, the name had spread beyond the Basque heartland and into neighboring territories.

During the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Juan Mendivil, a merchant and shipowner from the town of Rentería in Gipuzkoa. He played a significant role in the maritime trade of the region and his name is recorded in various commercial documents from the era.

In the 16th century, the name Mendivil can be found in connection with the Spanish conquest of the Americas. One notable individual was Diego de Mendivil, a soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in 1519. He later received land grants in the newly conquered territories.

Another notable bearer of the name was María de Mendivil, a nun and educator who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was instrumental in establishing several convents and schools for girls in the Basque region, and her name appears in various religious records and chronicles of the time.

As the centuries progressed, the name Mendivil continued to be found in various historical records and documents across Spain and its former colonies, reflecting the spread and migration of Basque populations over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mendivil

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

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 Mendivil 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mendivil has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Mendivil was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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