2000
#5,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,695
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Meneses
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an individual's origins in one of several places named Meneses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,146 Americans carry the last name Meneses. That puts it at #4,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meneses 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Meneses with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,476
Census rank
#4,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,976 bearers of the surname Meneses in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meneses, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and White (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meneses
The surname Meneses is a Portuguese and Spanish surname that originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word "meneses," which refers to the town of Meneses in the province of Valladolid, Spain.
The first recorded use of the surname Meneses dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in historical records from the Kingdom of Castile. The name was initially borne by members of the noble family that ruled over the town of Meneses and its surrounding lands.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Meneses was Tello Pérez de Meneses, a prominent nobleman who lived in the 13th century and served as the Lord of Meneses. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso X of Castile and León.
In the 14th century, the Meneses family gained prominence in Portugal when Alonso Telles de Meneses, a Portuguese nobleman, became the Count of Barcelos and the Count of Neiva. His descendants played significant roles in the Portuguese court and held important positions in the government and military.
Another notable figure with the surname Meneses was Pedro de Meneses, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and governor of Portuguese India. He was responsible for establishing Portuguese trading posts in India and played a crucial role in the expansion of the Portuguese Empire in the Indian Ocean region.
During the 16th century, the Meneses family also gained prominence in Spain. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Alonso de Meneses, a Spanish soldier and military commander who served under King Philip II of Spain. He played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Netherlands and was renowned for his military prowess.
Other notable individuals with the surname Meneses include Blasco Núñez Vela, a 16th-century Spanish colonial administrator who served as the first Viceroy of Peru, and Alonso de Meneses y Brochero, a 17th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who served as the Governor of Panama.
The surname Meneses has been widely dispersed throughout the Iberian Peninsula and the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies due to the historical influence and migrations of these cultures. Today, it remains a prominent surname in countries with significant Spanish and Portuguese heritage, such as Brazil, Mexico, and various nations in Central and South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meneses
Among Census respondents with the surname Meneses, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and White (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Meneses 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 Meneses surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino76.5% · 6,101
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.6% · 926
- White10.4% · 829
- Two or more races0.9% · 71
- Black or African American0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meneses
Meneses 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
#4,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,548
+2,853 bearers (+50.1%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 1,450 places
2020
#4,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,976
-572 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,593 | 5,695 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,143 | 8,548 | 2.90 | +2,853 bearers (+50.1%) | Up 1,450 places |
| 2020 | #4,306 | 7,976 | 2.67 | -572 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 163 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 Meneses 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 | #4,143 | #4,306 | -3.9% |
| Count | 8,548 | 7,976 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.90 | 2.67 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meneses bearers went from 8,548 to 7,976 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,143 to #4,306.
FAQ
Meneses surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meneses?
Name Census estimates that about 9,146 living Americans carry the surname Meneses. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,476 residents.
How common is Meneses?
Meneses ranks #4,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,976 people with the surname Meneses. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Meneses.
Has Meneses become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meneses went from 8,548 recorded bearers to 7,976. That is a decrease of 572 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,143 to #4,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Meneses?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meneses, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and White (10.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Meneses in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (6,101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meneses appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (76.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%), White (10.4%). 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 Meneses (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 Meneses mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an individual's origins in one of several places named Meneses. 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 Meneses (2.67 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 Meneses?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.