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

Menegay, 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 Menegay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Menegay in America

Menegay is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Menegay surname appeared 212 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 Menegay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Menegay 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 Menegay

The surname Menegay is believed to have originated in France, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the old French word "menagier," which translates to "housekeeper" or "steward." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for those who managed or oversaw household affairs.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records and manuscripts from the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. One notable mention appears in the 13th-century cartulary of the Abbey of Savigny, where a certain Jehan Menegay is listed as a landowner in the village of Mesnières.

In the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of France, with records indicating a Guillaume Menegay living in the town of Beaune in Burgundy. This individual is mentioned in the Burgundian court registers of 1387 as a respected vintner and merchant.

As the centuries progressed, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Menegaye, Meneguay, and Meneghay, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and written records. It is worth noting that some branches of the family may have adopted the name as a result of residing near a place name with a similar spelling.

One notable figure bearing the Menegay surname was Jacques Menegay, a French soldier and explorer who participated in the expeditions of Samuel de Champlain to the New World in the early 17th century. Born in 1585 in the town of Dieppe, Jacques Menegay is recorded as one of the first settlers in the fledgling colony of Quebec, Canada, where he became a respected trader and interpreter among the indigenous populations.

Another individual of historical significance was Marie-Anne Menegay, a French Benedictine nun who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1712 in the city of Lyon, she played a pivotal role in the establishment of a convent and boarding school for girls, which gained a reputation for its excellent education and charitable works.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Menegay name was Émile Menegay, a French botanist and naturalist born in 1838 in Montpellier. He made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and authored several influential works on the flora of southern France and the Mediterranean region.

Across the Atlantic, the Menegay surname can be traced back to the early days of French colonization in North America, with records showing several families bearing this name settling in the regions of Quebec and Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada) in the 17th and 18th centuries.

While the Menegay surname may not be among the most common in the world, its history spans centuries and crosses continents, reflecting the diverse origins and experiences of those who have carried this name through the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Menegay

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

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

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

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