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

Menifee, 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 Menifee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Menifee in America

Menifee is the 44270th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Menifee surname appeared 486 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 Menifee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Menifee 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 Menifee

The surname "Menifee" is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "menife" or "menifee," which referred to a small hill or a mound. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who lived near or on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Manfred de Menifee" in Warwickshire. This indicates that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.

During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Menyfee," "Menefye," and "Menifie." These variations likely arose due to the inconsistent spelling practices of the time and regional pronunciation differences.

In the 13th century, the name "Menifee" was associated with a place called "Menifee Manor" in Staffordshire. This manor was owned by a family bearing the same name, suggesting that the surname may have originated from this location.

One notable figure with the surname "Menifee" was Sir John Menifee, who lived in the late 14th century and served as a knight in the service of King Richard II. Another early bearer of the name was William Menifee, a merchant from London, who is mentioned in records from the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name "Menifee" appeared in the parish records of several villages in Warwickshire and Staffordshire, indicating that it had become more widely distributed across these regions.

During the 17th century, a prominent member of the Menifee family was Robert Menifee, a wealthy landowner and member of Parliament who lived from 1620 to 1691. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Royalist cause but later switching his allegiance to the Parliamentarians.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Menifee (1675-1745), a military officer who served in the Wars of the Spanish Succession and later became the Governor of Gibraltar.

In the 18th century, the name "Menifee" spread to other parts of Britain, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in Scotland and Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Menifee

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

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

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

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