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

Mendoça, 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 Mendoça surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mendoça in America

Mendoça is the 86005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mendoça surname appeared 217 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 Mendoça.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mendoça 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 Mendoça

The surname Mendoca originates from Portugal, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese word "mendoca," which means "place of brambles" or "thorny area." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an individual who lived in or came from a location characterized by thorny or bramble-covered terrain.

One of the earliest known references to the Mendoca surname can be found in a document from the Monastery of Lorvão, dated 1187. This document mentions a person named Domingos Mendoca, who was a landowner in the region of Coimbra.

In the 13th century, the Mendoca family gained prominence and became part of the Portuguese nobility. Notably, João Mendes de Mendoca, born around 1235, was a respected military leader and played a significant role in the reconquest of the Algarve region from the Moors.

During the Age of Exploration, several individuals bearing the Mendoca surname made significant contributions. Pedro de Mendoca, born in 1453, was a renowned Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1497-1499.

Another notable figure was António de Mendoca, born in 1585, who served as the first Viceroy of Mexico from 1535 to 1550. He played a crucial role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas and was responsible for establishing the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

In the literary world, Diogo de Mendoca Corte-Real, born in 1575, was a prominent Portuguese poet and playwright during the Golden Age of Portuguese literature. His works, such as the play "El Marido Hace Mujer" (The Husband Makes the Wife), were highly acclaimed and influential.

Throughout history, variations of the Mendoca surname have emerged, including Mendonça, Mendoza, and Mendes. These variations often reflect regional differences or adaptations to other languages, particularly Spanish, due to the close ties between Portugal and Spain.

It is worth noting that the Mendoca surname has been associated with various locations and place names throughout Portugal, such as Mendoca in the municipality of Guarda, and Mendocinha in the municipality of Aveiro. These place names likely originated from the same root word and may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mendoça

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

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

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

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