2000
#19,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Menezes
A Portuguese surname referring to someone from the town of Menezes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,605 Americans carry the last name Menezes. That puts it at #12,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,576 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menezes 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 Menezes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,576
Census rank
#12,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,272 bearers of the surname Menezes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menezes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%) and Hispanic (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menezes
The surname Menezes originated in Portugal and has its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Portuguese word "menino," meaning a young man or boy. This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was small in stature or youthful in appearance.
Menezes is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from a specific place or region. One theory suggests that the name originated from the town of Meneses, located in the northern Portuguese district of Viana do Castelo. Another possible origin is the parish of Menezes, situated in the municipality of Alcobaça, in the central region of Portugal.
The earliest recorded instances of the Menezes surname can be traced back to the 13th century. One notable figure was Dom João Afonso de Menezes, a prominent Portuguese nobleman and military commander who lived from around 1232 to 1304. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Algarve region from the Moors during the reign of King Afonso III.
In the 15th century, the Menezes family achieved greater prominence and influence. Duarte de Menezes, who was born around 1414, was a renowned explorer and navigator. He accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1497 and played a crucial role in establishing Portuguese trade routes and colonial settlements in the Indian Ocean region.
Another noteworthy individual was Pedro de Menezes, a 16th-century Portuguese nobleman and military commander. He served as the Governor of Portuguese India from 1551 to 1552 and played a significant role in the expansion and consolidation of Portuguese power in the Indian subcontinent.
The Menezes surname also gained prominence in Brazil, where many Portuguese settlers and their descendants settled during the colonial era. One notable Brazilian figure was Tomás Antônio de Menezes, a 19th-century politician and lawyer who served as the Governor of the state of Sergipe from 1872 to 1873.
Throughout history, the Menezes surname has been associated with nobility, military service, exploration, and politics, reflecting the influential roles played by many individuals bearing this name in the shaping of Portuguese and Brazilian history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menezes
Among Census respondents with the surname Menezes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%) and Hispanic (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Menezes 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 Menezes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.6% · 1,263
- Asian and Pacific Islander28.9% · 656
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 172
- Two or more races5.0% · 113
- Black or African American2.7% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menezes
Menezes 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
#21,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,241
-84 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 2,139 places
2020
#12,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,272
+1,031 bearers (+83.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 8,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,018 | 1,325 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,157 | 1,241 | 0.42 | -84 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 2,139 places |
| 2020 | #12,931 | 2,272 | 0.76 | +1,031 bearers (+83.1%) | Up 8,226 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 Menezes 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 | #21,157 | #12,931 | 38.9% |
| Count | 1,241 | 2,272 | 83.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.76 | 81.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menezes bearers went from 1,241 to 2,272 (+83.1% change). The surname moved up 8,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,157 to #12,931.
FAQ
Menezes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menezes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,605 living Americans carry the surname Menezes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,576 residents.
How common is Menezes?
Menezes ranks #12,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,272 people with the surname Menezes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Menezes.
Has Menezes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menezes went from 1,241 recorded bearers to 2,272. That is an increase of 1,031 (+83.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,157 to #12,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Menezes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menezes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%) and Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Menezes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.6% (1,263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menezes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (28.9%), Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Menezes (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 Menezes mean?
A Portuguese surname referring to someone from the town of Menezes. 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 Menezes (0.76 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 common is the surname Menezes?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Menezes at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.