2000
#11,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Mina
A surname of Italian origin referring to a mine or a person who worked in or owned mines.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,879 Americans carry the last name Mina. That puts it at #9,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,362 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mina 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mina with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,362
Census rank
#9,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,383 bearers of the surname Mina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mina, the largest self-reported group is White at 36.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mina
The surname MINA has its origins in Spain, where it emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "mina," which means "mine" or "vein of ore." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who worked in mines or resided in areas known for mining activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MINA can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Willelmus de la Mina, indicating that the name had already spread beyond Spain by the 11th century.
During the 13th century, the surname MINA appeared in various historical records across Spain, including the Libro de Repartimiento, a document detailing the distribution of land and properties among Christian settlers in the newly conquered territories of Andalusia. This document mentions individuals with the surname MINA residing in the regions of Seville and Cordoba.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname MINA was Juan Alonso de Mina, a Spanish explorer and conquistador born around 1350. He played a significant role in the exploration and conquest of the Canary Islands, and his name is associated with the island of La Palma, where he established settlements.
Another prominent individual with the surname MINA was Francisco Espoz y Mina (1781-1836), a Spanish guerrilla leader who fought against the French during the Peninsular War. His successful military campaigns and leadership earned him recognition as a national hero in Spain.
In the 19th century, the surname MINA gained further prominence with the Mexican general and politician Xavier Mina (1789-1817). Born in Spain, he fought for Mexican independence and led a revolutionary movement against the Spanish colonial rule. Despite his eventual execution, Mina's legacy as a patriot and champion of Mexican freedom remains significant.
Other notable individuals with the surname MINA include the Spanish painter José Mina (1795-1868), known for his portraits and historical paintings, and the Mexican painter and sculptor Jesús F. Mina (1890-1969), whose works are celebrated for their depiction of indigenous themes and Mexican culture.
The surname MINA has also been associated with various place names, such as Mina de Riotinto in Spain, a town renowned for its mining history, and Mina, a municipality in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, which may have derived its name from the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mina
Among Census respondents with the surname Mina, the largest self-reported group is White at 36.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mina 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 Mina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White36.8% · 1,244
- Hispanic or Latino29.9% · 1,011
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.4% · 927
- Two or more races3.8% · 128
- Black or African American1.5% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mina
Mina appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,122
+700 bearers (+28.9%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 1,524 places
2020
#9,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,383
+261 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 1,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,844 | 2,422 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,320 | 3,122 | 1.06 | +700 bearers (+28.9%) | Up 1,524 places |
| 2020 | #9,243 | 3,383 | 1.13 | +261 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 1,077 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 Mina 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 | #10,320 | #9,243 | 10.4% |
| Count | 3,122 | 3,383 | 8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.13 | 6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mina bearers went from 3,122 to 3,383 (+8.4% change). The surname moved up 1,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,320 to #9,243.
FAQ
Mina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mina?
Name Census estimates that about 3,879 living Americans carry the surname Mina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,362 residents.
How common is Mina?
Mina ranks #9,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,383 people with the surname Mina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mina.
Has Mina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mina went from 3,122 recorded bearers to 3,383. That is an increase of 261 (+8.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,320 to #9,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Mina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mina, the largest self-reported group is White at 36.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%). 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 Mina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 36.8% (1,244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (36.8%), Hispanic (29.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (27.4%). 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 Mina (2000, 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 Mina mean?
A surname of Italian origin referring to a mine or a person who worked in or owned mines. 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 Mina (1.13 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 Mina?
You can see how many people have the surname Mina on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.