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

Menefee, 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 Menefee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Menefee in America

Menefee is the 7126th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Menefee surname appeared 4,695 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Menefee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Menefee 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 Menefee

The surname Menefee is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the northern regions near the English Channel. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is thought to be "Menefee", which dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French words "mener" meaning "to lead" and "fée" meaning "a fairy or supernatural being".

This combination of words suggests that the name may have been used to describe someone who was believed to have the ability to lead or guide people through enchanted or mystical realms. Alternatively, it could have been used as a nickname for someone who was considered to have a whimsical or fanciful personality.

One of the earliest known references to the name Menefee can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Normandy, which were administrative records kept by the English crown in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. These rolls mention a "Robert Menefee" who was a landowner in the Norman region of France.

As the name spread throughout Europe, it underwent various spelling variations such as "Menefie", "Menefey", and "Menefy". It is also believed that some variations of the name may have been influenced by place names in different regions.

One notable individual with the surname Menefee was John Menefee, a Scottish soldier and explorer who was born in 1640. He is known for his travels to the Americas and his writings about the indigenous cultures he encountered. Another prominent figure was Marie Menefee, a French novelist and poet born in 1792, who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love and loss.

In the 19th century, the Menefee name appeared in the United States, with the arrival of French and Scottish immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances was William Menefee, a farmer who settled in Virginia in the 1820s. Another notable individual was James Menefee, a lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives in the 1840s.

Other historical figures with the Menefee surname include:

1. Robert Menefee (1780-1854), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Elizabeth Menefee (1815-1892), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.
3. John Menefee (1870-1938), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist.
4. Henri Menefee (1890-1962), a French painter known for his landscapes and still life paintings.
5. Alice Menefee (1901-1987), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the American West.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Menefee

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

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

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

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