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

Meneces, 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 Meneces surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meneces in America

Meneces is the 103181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meneces surname appeared 174 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 Meneces.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meneces 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 Meneces

The surname Meneces has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese place name Meneses, which was once a town located in the northern region of the country. This place name is thought to have its roots in the Latin word "mensis," meaning "month," possibly indicating a connection to a lunar or monthly cycle.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Meneces surname can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (The Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical work compiled in the 13th century. This manuscript mentions several members of the Meneces family, who were prominent nobility during that era.

In the 14th century, João Afonso Meneces (1310-1379) was a notable Portuguese military commander who served under King Afonso IV. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Algarve region from the Moors and was later appointed as the governor of Lisbon.

During the 15th century, Pedro de Meneces (1429-1508) was a celebrated Portuguese explorer and navigator. He is best known for leading the first European expedition to reach the coast of modern-day Mozambique and establishing Portuguese control over the island of Mozambique.

Another prominent figure bearing the Meneces surname was Duarte de Meneses (1479-1537), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who served as the governor of Tangier and later as the viceroy of Portuguese India from 1522 to 1524.

In the 16th century, Aleixo de Meneses (1559-1617) was a renowned Portuguese poet and dramatist. His works, such as the play "Nau de Amores" and the epic poem "Naufrágio de Sepúlveda," were highly influential in the literary circles of his time.

The Meneces surname has also been associated with various locations and landmarks throughout Portugal, such as the Meneses Castle in the municipality of Valpaços and the Meneses Palace in Lisbon, both of which were once owned or inhabited by members of the Meneces family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meneces

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

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

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

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