2000
#7,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Mingo
Derived from the Native American word for "chief" or "headman," originally given to a leader of the Iroquois people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,533 Americans carry the last name Mingo. That puts it at #6,720 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mingo 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 Mingo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 61,947
Census rank
#6,720
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,825 bearers of the surname Mingo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6720th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mingo, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.5%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mingo
The surname Mingo originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish personal name Domingo, which itself comes from the Latin name Dominicus, meaning "of the Lord." The Spanish word "mingo" is a diminutive form of Domingo.
In the 13th century, records show the name Mingo appearing in various regions of Spain, including Castile and Aragon. It was particularly common in the northern Spanish provinces of Asturias and Cantabria, where surnames based on personal names were widespread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mingo can be found in the "Libro Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Mingo in various villages across Castile.
In the 15th century, the surname Mingo was also present in the "Repartimiento de Tenerife," a document detailing the distribution of land and properties in the Canary Islands after the Spanish conquest. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been involved in the colonization of the Canary Islands.
Over the centuries, the surname Mingo has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Juan Mingo, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Pedro Mingo, a Spanish soldier and adventurer who served under the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro during the conquest of Peru in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Sebastián Mingo was a renowned Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was active in Madrid and Valladolid during the Golden Age of Spanish art.
Moving into the 18th century, José Mingo was a Spanish naval officer and explorer who commanded several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest, surveying the coastline and islands in the region.
In the 19th century, Manuel Mingo was a prominent Spanish politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1836 to 1837 during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
While the surname Mingo has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and other Spanish-speaking regions, due to migration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mingo
Among Census respondents with the surname Mingo, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.5%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mingo 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 Mingo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.1% · 3,095
- White21.5% · 1,036
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 313
- Two or more races4.7% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mingo
Mingo 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
#6,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,899
+574 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Up 259 places
2020
#6,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,825
-74 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,125 | 4,325 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,866 | 4,899 | 1.66 | +574 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 259 places |
| 2020 | #6,720 | 4,825 | 1.61 | -74 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 146 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 Mingo 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 | #6,866 | #6,720 | 2.1% |
| Count | 4,899 | 4,825 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.61 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mingo bearers went from 4,899 to 4,825 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,866 to #6,720.
FAQ
Mingo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mingo?
Name Census estimates that about 5,533 living Americans carry the surname Mingo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,947 residents.
How common is Mingo?
Mingo ranks #6,720 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,825 people with the surname Mingo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mingo.
Has Mingo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mingo went from 4,899 recorded bearers to 4,825. That is a decrease of 74 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,866 to #6,720.
What does the Census say about the background of Mingo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mingo, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.5%) and Hispanic (6.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mingo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (3,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mingo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.1%), White (21.5%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Mingo (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 Mingo mean?
Derived from the Native American word for "chief" or "headman," originally given to a leader of the Iroquois people. 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 Mingo (1.61 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 people share the surname Mingo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.