2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mendyka
A surname of Polish origin derived from the word "mendyk" meaning a beggar or mendicant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Mendyka. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendyka 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Mendyka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendyka, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendyka
The surname MENDYKA has its origins in Poland, traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "mendyk," which means "beggar" or "mendicant." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who was a beggar or a member of a mendicant religious order.
The earliest recorded instance of the name MENDYKA can be found in the town of Krakow, Poland, in a document from the year 1472. This document mentions a person named Jan MENDYKA, who was a local tradesman. It is likely that the name was already in use before this date, as surnames were becoming more widespread in Europe during this time period.
In the 16th century, the name MENDYKA appeared in several historical records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable individual was Jakub MENDYKA, a merchant who lived in the city of Poznan in the late 1500s. He was involved in trade with other cities in the region and is mentioned in several business contracts from that era.
During the 17th century, the name MENDYKA spread to other parts of Poland, as well as neighboring areas such as Ukraine and Belarus. A famous bearer of the name was Katarzyna MENDYKA, a nun who lived in the city of Lviv (now part of Ukraine) in the mid-1600s. She was known for her charitable work and is recorded in the chronicles of the local convent.
In the 18th century, the MENDYKA name can be found in various Polish villages and towns, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Silesia. One notable individual was Franciszek MENDYKA, a soldier who fought in the Kosciuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794. He was captured and imprisoned but later released, and his name is mentioned in accounts of the uprising.
The 19th century saw the MENDYKA name spread further across Europe, as many Poles emigrated to other countries due to political and economic circumstances. One example is Jan MENDYKA, who was born in Poland in 1823 and later settled in the United States, where he worked as a farmer in Wisconsin.
Throughout its history, the surname MENDYKA has been associated with various occupations and social classes, from tradesmen and merchants to religious figures and soldiers. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark in various historical records and accounts, reflecting the diverse experiences of those who have borne this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendyka
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendyka, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendyka 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 Mendyka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendyka
Mendyka 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,579 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 725 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,579 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 725 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 Mendyka 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 | #154,907 | #154,182 | 0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 103 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendyka bearers went from 105 to 103 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 725 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,182.
FAQ
Mendyka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendyka?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Mendyka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Mendyka?
Mendyka ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Mendyka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Mendyka.
Has Mendyka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendyka went from 105 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendyka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendyka, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mendyka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendyka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Mendyka (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 Mendyka mean?
A surname of Polish origin derived from the word "mendyk" meaning a beggar or mendicant. 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 Mendyka (0.03 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 common is the surname Mendyka?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Mendyka is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.