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

Mendizábal, 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 Mendizábal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mendizábal in America

Mendizábal is the 22026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mendizábal surname appeared 1,177 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 Mendizábal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mendizábal 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 Mendizábal

The surname Mendizabal originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, specifically in the provinces of Gipuzkoa and Navarre. It is a Basque topographic name derived from the words "mendi," meaning mountain, and "zabal," meaning wide or broad, likely referring to a person who lived near a broad mountain range or valley.

The earliest known record of the surname Mendizabal dates back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval Basque documents and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that recorded the names of pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago, where several individuals with the name Mendizabal were listed.

In the 15th century, the Mendizabal family played a significant role in the defense of Fuenterrabia (now Hondarribia) during the Spanish-Navarrese conflict. Juan de Mendizabal (c. 1450-1520), a renowned military commander, led the successful defense of the town against the Navarrese forces.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several members of the Mendizabal family were prominent in the ecclesiastical and administrative spheres. Martín de Mendizabal (1516-1594) was a Basque philosopher and theologian who served as the Bishop of Calahorra. Juan de Mendizabal y Zubiaur (1620-1689) was a notable magistrate and judge in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid.

In the 18th century, José Agustín de Mendizabal (1763-1836) was a Spanish politician and military officer who served as the Prime Minister of Spain during the minority of Isabella II. He is remembered for his significant reforms, including the confiscation and sale of church properties, known as the Desamortización de Mendizabal.

Another notable figure with the surname Mendizabal was Juan Ignacio Mendizabal (1817-1897), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and interim President of Mexico in 1876.

While the surname Mendizabal is predominantly associated with the Basque region, it has since spread to other parts of Spain, as well as Latin American countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, due to migration and the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mendizábal

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

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

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

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