2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Menegus
A surname of Catalan origin, potentially derived from a word meaning "servant" or "steward."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Menegus. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menegus 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Menegus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menegus, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menegus
The surname MENEGUS is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically from the region of Tuscany. It is thought to have derived from the Italian word "maneggia," which means "to handle" or "to manage." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a manager or an administrator.
During the late Middle Ages, around the 13th and 14th centuries, the use of surnames in Italy became more common, particularly among the wealthy and nobility. It is possible that the MENEGUS surname emerged during this period as a way to distinguish individuals or families based on their occupations or roles within society.
One of the earliest documented references to the MENEGUS name can be found in the records of the Republic of Florence, where a certain Guido MENEGUS is mentioned in the year 1387 as a prominent merchant and landowner. This indicates that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the MENEGUS surname was Gian Paolo MENEGUS (1525-1598), a Renaissance scholar and humanist from Siena. He was known for his works on philosophy, literature, and the classics, and was highly regarded in intellectual circles of his time.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Francesco MENEGUS (1679-1742), a Florentine architect and engineer who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings and structures in the city, including the Basilica di Santa Croce and the Palazzo Pitti.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe MENEGUS (1810-1876) was a renowned Italian painter and sculptor from Livorno. His works, which often depicted scenes from everyday life and portraiture, can be found in various museums and galleries across Italy.
Additionally, the MENEGUS name has been associated with several small towns and villages in Tuscany, such as Menegus near Arezzo and Menegus di Sopra in the province of Siena. These place names may have influenced the surname's spelling and pronunciation over time.
It is worth noting that while the MENEGUS surname has its roots in Italy, particularly in the Tuscan region, it has likely spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menegus
Among Census respondents with the surname Menegus, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Menegus 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 Menegus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menegus
Menegus 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-6 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,059 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 13,059 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Menegus 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menegus bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Menegus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menegus?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Menegus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Menegus?
Menegus ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Menegus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Menegus.
Has Menegus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menegus went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Menegus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menegus, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Menegus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menegus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Menegus (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 Menegus mean?
A surname of Catalan origin, potentially derived from a word meaning "servant" or "steward." 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 Menegus (0.04 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 surname Menegus?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.