Meus last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Meus

A surname derived from the Portuguese word for "mine" or "my".

Meus, 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 Meus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meus in America

Meus is the 74141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meus surname appeared 261 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 Meus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meus 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 74141 104257 -33.76%
Count 261 159 48.57%
Proportion per 100k 0.09 0.06 40.00%

The history of the last name Meus

The surname "MEUS" has its origins in Portugal, where it first emerged during the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "meus," which translates to "mine" or "my." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone as belonging to a particular family or group.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "MEUS" can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript from the 13th century that documented various noble families. The name appears in this work, indicating its presence among the Portuguese nobility during that time period.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named João Meus (born c. 1320) was a prominent Portuguese scholar and theologian. He was known for his work on canon law and served as a professor at the University of Lisbon.

During the 15th century, the surname "MEUS" spread to other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, including Spain. One notable individual with this surname was Fernán Meus (c. 1450-1520), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on one of his voyages to the Americas.

In the 16th century, the name appears in records related to the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. One example is João Meus (c. 1520-1585), a Portuguese settler who established a sugarcane plantation in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco.

As the Portuguese empire expanded, the surname "MEUS" also found its way to other parts of the world, including India and Africa. In the 18th century, a man named Rodrigo Meus (1710-1782) was a prominent Portuguese merchant and trader based in Goa, India.

Another notable figure with the surname "MEUS" was Manuel Meus (1820-1890), a Brazilian politician and abolitionist who played a significant role in the movement to end slavery in Brazil.

While the surname "MEUS" has its roots in Portugal, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by Portuguese explorers, settlers, and immigrants. Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the name has left its mark on history through the contributions of individuals in various fields, including academia, exploration, and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meus

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

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 Meus was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 18.01% 47
Non-Hispanic Black Only 76.63% 200
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.45% 9
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Meus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 18.01% 27.67% -42.29%
Black 76.63% 59.12% 25.80%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.45% 12.58% -113.91%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Meus last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/meus-surname-popularity/.

"Meus last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/meus-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Meus last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/meus-surname-popularity/.

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