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

Menon, 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 Menon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Menon in America

Menon is the 10837th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Menon surname appeared 2,938 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Menon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Menon 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 Menon

The surname "MENON" is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the southern state of Kerala. It is derived from the Tamil word "Menon" or "Menne," which means "prestigious" or "respected." The name is associated with the Nair community, a prominent Hindu caste traditionally known for their military prowess and land ownership.

In ancient times, members of the Nair community held important positions in the ruling dynasties of Kerala, such as the Chera, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms. The earliest known use of the surname "MENON" can be traced back to the 9th century AD, during the reign of the Kulasekhara dynasty in the region of Venadu (present-day Travancore).

One of the earliest recorded references to the name "MENON" is found in the Vatteluttu inscriptions, a form of ancient Malayalam script used in Kerala. These inscriptions mention individuals with the name "MENON" serving as chieftains, military commanders, and administrators under various royal houses.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname "MENON" include:

1. Govinda Menon (14th century), a prominent military leader and feudal chief who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Kingdom of Travancore.
2. Velu Thampi Dalava Menon (1765-1809), a celebrated Nair military commander who led the forces of Travancore against the British East India Company.
3. Govinda Pillai Menon (18th century), a renowned scholar and author of the famous work "Keralolpathi," which chronicles the history of Kerala.
4. Sir C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Menon (1879-1966), a distinguished Indian civil servant, politician, and diplomat who served as the Dewan (Prime Minister) of Travancore from 1936 to 1947.
5. V.K. Krishna Menon (1896-1974), an influential Indian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as the Defence Minister of India from 1957 to 1962.

The surname "MENON" is also closely associated with certain place names in Kerala, such as Mannath, Mannoor, and Mannar, which are believed to have been derived from the name itself or vice versa. Additionally, variations in spelling like "Menon," "Mennon," and "Menen" are found in historical records from different regions of Kerala.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Menon

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!