2000
#6,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,819
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Uncommon Last name
Menjivar
A Spanish surname of Basque origin, likely derived from the Basque words "mendi" (mountain) and "ibar" (valley).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,294 Americans carry the last name Menjivar. That puts it at #3,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menjivar 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
11K
1 in 30,348
Census rank
#3,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,849 bearers of the surname Menjivar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menjivar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menjivar
The surname Menjivar is of Spanish origin, specifically from the region of El Salvador in Central America. It likely dates back to the early colonial period of the 16th century when Spanish settlers arrived in the area.
The name is derived from the Spanish words "menjar" meaning "to eat" and "var" which is a contraction of the word "varo" meaning "man." It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked in the food service industry, such as a cook or a server.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the baptismal records of the Church of San Salvador in the city of Sonsonate, El Salvador, dating back to the late 1600s. The name is also mentioned in various land ownership documents from the same time period in the region surrounding the city of Santa Ana.
In the 19th century, there are records of a Menjivar family living in the town of Chalchuapa, where a man named José Menjivar was a prominent landowner and community leader. Another notable figure from this era was María Menjivar, a teacher and advocate for women's education in the city of San Salvador.
Other historical figures with the surname include:
1. Gustavo Menjivar (1886-1964), a Salvadoran politician who served as Minister of Education in the 1940s.
2. Ana Mercedes Menjivar (1912-1995), a Salvadoran poet and novelist who is considered one of the most important literary figures in the country's history.
3. Carlos Menjivar Rosales (1923-2002), a renowned Salvadoran artist known for his paintings and murals depicting the country's culture and history.
4. Ester Menjivar (born 1949), a Salvadoran-American author and activist who has written extensively about the civil war in El Salvador and the experiences of refugees.
5. Rafael Menjivar Puquís (1959-2011), a Salvadoran human rights activist and lawyer who worked tirelessly to bring justice to victims of the civil war.
While the name Menjivar is most commonly found in El Salvador, it has also spread to other parts of Central America and to Salvadoran communities in the United States, Canada, and other countries due to migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menjivar
Among Census respondents with the surname Menjivar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Menjivar 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 Menjivar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.6% · 9,511
- White2.5% · 248
- Black or African American0.4% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 28
- Two or more races0.1% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menjivar
Menjivar 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
#4,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,622
+3,803 bearers (+78.9%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Up 2,380 places
2020
#3,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,849
+1,227 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 3.30
Rank movement Up 581 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,496 | 4,819 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,116 | 8,622 | 2.92 | +3,803 bearers (+78.9%) | Up 2,380 places |
| 2020 | #3,535 | 9,849 | 3.30 | +1,227 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 581 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 Menjivar 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 | #4,116 | #3,535 | 14.1% |
| Count | 8,622 | 9,849 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 3.30 | 12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menjivar bearers went from 8,622 to 9,849 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 581 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,116 to #3,535.
FAQ
Menjivar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menjivar?
Name Census estimates that about 11,294 living Americans carry the surname Menjivar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,348 residents.
How common is Menjivar?
Menjivar ranks #3,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.30 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 9,849 people with the surname Menjivar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,294), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.30 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 Menjivar.
Has Menjivar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menjivar went from 8,622 recorded bearers to 9,849. That is an increase of 1,227 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,116 to #3,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Menjivar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menjivar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Menjivar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (9,511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menjivar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.6%), White (2.5%), Black (0.4%). 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 Menjivar (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 Menjivar mean?
A Spanish surname of Basque origin, likely derived from the Basque words "mendi" (mountain) and "ibar" (valley). 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 Menjivar (3.30 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 Americans have the surname Menjivar?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.