2000
#14,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Mendivil
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Mendibil, meaning "round hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,675 Americans carry the last name Mendivil. That puts it at #12,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendivil 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
2.7K
1 in 128,132
Census rank
#12,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,333 bearers of the surname Mendivil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendivil, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 14th century, the name Mendivil appears in the Codex de Avellaneda, an important historical document from the region of Navarre.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendivil
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendivil, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendivil 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 Mendivil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 2,158
- White6.0% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendivil
Mendivil 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
#12,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,474
+541 bearers (+28.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 1,718 places
2020
#12,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,333
-141 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,243 | 1,933 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,525 | 2,474 | 0.84 | +541 bearers (+28.0%) | Up 1,718 places |
| 2020 | #12,638 | 2,333 | 0.78 | -141 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 113 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 Mendivil 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 | #12,525 | #12,638 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,474 | 2,333 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendivil bearers went from 2,474 to 2,333 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,525 to #12,638.
FAQ
Mendivil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendivil?
Name Census estimates that about 2,675 living Americans carry the surname Mendivil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,132 residents.
How common is Mendivil?
Mendivil ranks #12,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,333 people with the surname Mendivil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mendivil.
Has Mendivil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendivil went from 2,474 recorded bearers to 2,333. That is a decrease of 141 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,525 to #12,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendivil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendivil, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Mendivil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendivil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (6.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Mendivil (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 Mendivil mean?
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Mendibil, meaning "round hill." 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 Mendivil (0.78 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 Americans have the surname Mendivil?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.