2000
#7,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Menefee
A Norman French habitational surname derived from a place of unknown meaning, possibly related to the French word "meni" (household).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,911 Americans carry the last name Menefee. That puts it at #7,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menefee 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
4.9K
1 in 69,793
Census rank
#7,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,283 bearers of the surname Menefee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menefee, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menefee
Among Census respondents with the surname Menefee, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Menefee 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 Menefee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 2,464
- Black or African American32.7% · 1,400
- Two or more races4.8% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 162
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menefee
Menefee 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
#7,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,695
+309 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#7,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,283
-412 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 366 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,042 | 4,386 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,126 | 4,695 | 1.59 | +309 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #7,492 | 4,283 | 1.43 | -412 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 366 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 Menefee 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 | #7,126 | #7,492 | -5.1% |
| Count | 4,695 | 4,283 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.43 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menefee bearers went from 4,695 to 4,283 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 366 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,126 to #7,492.
FAQ
Menefee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menefee?
Name Census estimates that about 4,911 living Americans carry the surname Menefee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,793 residents.
How common is Menefee?
Menefee ranks #7,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,283 people with the surname Menefee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,911), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Menefee.
Has Menefee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menefee went from 4,695 recorded bearers to 4,283. That is a decrease of 412 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,126 to #7,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Menefee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menefee, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Menefee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (2,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menefee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.5%), Black (32.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Menefee (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 Menefee mean?
A Norman French habitational surname derived from a place of unknown meaning, possibly related to the French word "meni" (household). 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 Menefee (1.43 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 Menefee?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Menefee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.