2010
#148,347
National surname rank
First available Census row
A surname of Sephardic origin meaning "little flowers."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Meyreles. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meyreles 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Meyreles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyreles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
The surname MEYRELES is of Spanish origin, deriving from the town of Meyreles in the region of Asturias. This name first appeared in records dating back to the 12th century, during the Reconquista period when Christian kingdoms were reclaiming territory from the Moors.
Meyreles is believed to be a variation of the Latin word "mirabilis," meaning "wonderful" or "admirable." This suggests the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone renowned for their exceptional qualities or deeds. Alternatively, it could stem from the Spanish "mirador," referring to a lookout or vantage point, possibly indicating the town's strategic location on higher ground.
One of the earliest documented references to the MEYRELES name can be found in the Libro del Repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century manuscript detailing the distribution of lands and properties in Seville after its reconquest from the Moors in 1248. This record mentions a certain Rodrigo Meyreles, who was granted an estate in recognition of his service to the Crown.
During the 15th century, the MEYRELES name gained prominence in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in Asturias and Cantabria. Notable individuals from this era include Pedro Meyreles (1417-1492), a respected jurist and advisor to King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Juana Meyreles (1438-1511), a renowned scholar and poet whose works were widely circulated among the nobility.
In the 16th century, the MEYRELES family established itself in the Americas, with several members participating in the Spanish conquest and colonization efforts. One such figure was Diego Meyreles (1525-1598), an explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico and later became the first Spanish governor of Puerto Rico.
Other notable MEYRELES individuals throughout history include José Meyreles (1678-1742), a celebrated architect whose designs graced many churches and palaces in Madrid; María Meyreles (1795-1872), a pioneering educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in Seville; and Enrique Meyreles (1862-1935), a prominent politician and diplomat who served as Spain's ambassador to several European countries.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyreles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Meyreles 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 Meyreles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Meyreles 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.
2010
National surname rank
First available Census row
2020
National surname rank
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 5,559 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
How has the Meyreles surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #148,347 | #142,788 | 3.7% |
| Count | 111 | 119 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meyreles bearers went from 111 to 119 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 5,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,788.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Meyreles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
Meyreles ranks #142,788 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.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Meyreles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
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 Meyreles.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meyreles went from 111 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 8 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,788.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meyreles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Black (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Meyreles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
Meyreles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.4%), White (9.2%), Black (1.7%). 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.
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 Meyreles (2010, 2020).
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.
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.
A surname of Sephardic origin meaning "little flowers." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Meyreles (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.
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.