2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Menoscal
A surname possibly derived from the Spanish words "menor" meaning lesser and "cal" meaning lime or limestone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Menoscal. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menoscal 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Menoscal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menoscal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menoscal
The surname Menoscal has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It likely derives from the Spanish word "menoscabo," meaning "diminution" or "loss," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who experienced a diminished status or loss of property.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Menoscal can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile in the 14th century. This text mentions a location called "Menoscal" near the town of Alcaraz in the province of Albacete, which may have been the origin of the surname.
In the 15th century, records show a nobleman named Juan de Menoscal who served as a military commander under King Juan II of Aragon. He was instrumental in the conquest of Sardinia and was granted lands and titles for his service.
During the 16th century, the Menoscal family had a strong presence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. One notable figure was Diego de Menoscal, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s. He later settled in the region and was granted an encomienda, a system of land distribution and labor.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Menoscal family established themselves in the Canary Islands, where the surname was sometimes spelled as "Menoscal de la Cueva." One prominent figure from this lineage was Francisco Menoscal de la Cueva, a wealthy landowner and merchant who played a significant role in the economic development of the islands.
Another notable individual with the surname Menoscal was José Menoscal y Pedroso, a Cuban politician and lawyer who served as the President of Cuba from 1913 to 1917. He was born in 1851 and was known for his efforts to promote economic development and infrastructure projects during his tenure.
Throughout its history, the surname Menoscal has been associated with various areas of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and the Canary Islands, as well as the Spanish colonies in the Americas. While not an extremely common surname, it has left its mark on the historical records of these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menoscal
Among Census respondents with the surname Menoscal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Menoscal 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 Menoscal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.3% · 105
- White2.8% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menoscal
Menoscal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,327 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 Menoscal 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 | #151,532 | #150,205 | 0.9% |
| Count | 108 | 109 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menoscal bearers went from 108 to 109 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,205.
FAQ
Menoscal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menoscal?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Menoscal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Menoscal?
Menoscal ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Menoscal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Menoscal.
Has Menoscal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menoscal went from 108 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Menoscal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menoscal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Menoscal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menoscal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.3%), White (2.8%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Menoscal (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 Menoscal mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Spanish words "menor" meaning lesser and "cal" meaning lime or limestone. 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 Menoscal (0.04 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 Menoscal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.