2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mendolera
A Catalan surname possibly derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mendolera. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendolera 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Mendolera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendolera, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendolera
The surname Mendolera originates from the Spanish region of Andalusia, specifically the province of Seville. It is believed to have emerged during the 15th century, a time when many Sephardic Jewish families were expelled from Spain and sought refuge in other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean.
Mendolera is likely derived from the Spanish word "mendola," which refers to a type of small fish found in the Mediterranean Sea. This suggests that the name may have originated from a family or individual involved in fishing or the trade of this particular species of fish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mendolera appears in a document dated 1492, which mentions a certain Isaías Mendolera, a merchant from Seville. This document is part of the archives of the Inquisition, indicating that the Mendolera family may have been among those targeted during the persecution of Jews in Spain.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Rabbi Shmuel Mendolera, who lived in the city of Salonica (modern-day Thessaloniki, Greece) and was known for his teachings and writings on Jewish law and philosophy.
During the 17th century, the name Mendolera appears in various historical records related to the Sephardic Jewish communities of Amsterdam and Venice. One notable figure was Isaac Mendolera (1628-1701), a prominent rabbi and scholar in the Dutch capital.
The 18th century saw the spread of the Mendolera name across Europe, with records indicating families bearing this surname in cities such as London, Paris, and Vienna. One notable individual from this period was David Mendolera (1760-1832), a successful merchant and philanthropist who lived in Livorno, Italy.
In the 19th century, the Mendolera surname can be found in various parts of the Mediterranean region, including Greece, Turkey, and North Africa. A notable figure was Joseph Mendolera (1810-1892), a scholar and author from Izmir, Turkey, who wrote extensively on the history and culture of the Sephardic Jews.
As the centuries progressed, the Mendolera surname continued to spread across different continents, with families settling in various parts of the world, including the Americas and Australia. However, the name remains most prevalent in areas with significant Sephardic Jewish communities, such as Spain, Portugal, and parts of the Mediterranean region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendolera
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendolera, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendolera 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 Mendolera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendolera
Mendolera 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,585 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,675 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,585 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 12,675 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 Mendolera 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 | #158,432 | #145,757 | 8.0% |
| Count | 102 | 115 | 12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendolera bearers went from 102 to 115 (+12.7% change). The surname moved up 12,675 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mendolera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendolera?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mendolera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mendolera?
Mendolera ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Mendolera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mendolera.
Has Mendolera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendolera went from 102 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 13 (+12.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendolera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendolera, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mendolera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendolera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Black (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 Mendolera (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 Mendolera mean?
A Catalan surname possibly derived from a place name or location. 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 Mendolera (0.04 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 people have the last name Mendolera?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Mendolera, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.