2010
#111,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Miclea
A Romanian surname derived from the Romanian word "mic" meaning small or little.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Miclea. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miclea 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
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Miclea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miclea, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miclea
The surname MICLEA originates from Romania, with its roots tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Romanian word "mic," meaning small or little, and the diminutive suffix "-lea." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone of small stature or a younger member of a family or community.
One of the earliest recorded references to the MICLEA surname can be found in the historical records of the Transylvanian region, where it was commonly used among Romanian families living in rural areas. The name also appears in various church registers and legal documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating its widespread use during that time.
Notably, a prominent figure bearing the MICLEA surname was Gheorghe Miclea, a Romanian Orthodox bishop who lived from 1829 to 1895. He played a significant role in the religious and cultural life of Transylvania, advocating for the rights of Romanian communities in the region.
Another noteworthy individual was Vasile Miclea, a Romanian writer and journalist born in 1856. He was known for his contributions to the development of Romanian literature and his work as a cultural activist, promoting the preservation of Romanian traditions and language.
In the late 19th century, the MICLEA surname also gained recognition through the work of Ion Miclea, a Romanian historian and archivist. He dedicated his life to researching and documenting the history of Transylvania, preserving important historical records and manuscripts.
The name MICLEA has also been associated with several place names in Romania, such as Miclești, a commune in the Argeș county, and Micleușa, a village in the Caraș-Severin county. These place names likely derived from the MICLEA surname, reflecting the presence and influence of families bearing this name in those regions.
Throughout the 20th century, the MICLEA surname continued to be prevalent in Romania, with individuals like Valeriu Miclea, a renowned Romanian mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis.
While the MICLEA surname has its roots in Romania, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, carrying with it the rich cultural heritage and history associated with its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miclea
Among Census respondents with the surname Miclea, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Miclea 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 Miclea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 135
- Two or more races1.4% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miclea
Miclea 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
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-18 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #111,988 | 157 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | -18 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 16,423 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 Miclea 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 | #111,988 | #128,411 | -14.7% |
| Count | 157 | 139 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miclea bearers went from 157 to 139 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 16,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #111,988 to #128,411.
FAQ
Miclea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miclea?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Miclea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Miclea?
Miclea ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 139 people with the surname Miclea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Miclea.
Has Miclea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miclea went from 157 recorded bearers to 139. That is a decrease of 18 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #111,988 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Miclea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miclea, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (0.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Miclea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miclea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (1.4%), Hispanic (0.7%). 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.
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 Miclea (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 Miclea mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the Romanian word "mic" meaning small or little. 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 Miclea (0.05 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 common is the surname Miclea?
You can see how many people have the last name Miclea on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.