2000
#3,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,803
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.00
Uncommon Last name
Mojica
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Muxika, referring to someone from the Basque town of Muxika.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,942 Americans carry the last name Mojica. That puts it at #2,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mojica 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
17K
1 in 20,231
Census rank
#2,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,774 bearers of the surname Mojica in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mojica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%) and White (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mojica
The surname Mojica originates from Spain, specifically from the Andalusia region in southern Spain. It likely emerged during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula between the 8th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Arabic word "muwajjaha," which means "faced" or "fronted," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived facing a particular landmark or geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mojica can be found in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document dating back to the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Spanish conquistadors after the reconquest of Seville from the Moors. This document mentions individuals with the surname Mojica who were granted land and properties in the region.
The surname Mojica has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Alonso Mojica, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Another prominent figure was Gaspar Mojica, a Spanish soldier and writer who served in the Spanish Army during the 16th century and authored a treatise on military tactics and strategies.
In the 17th century, Francisco Mojica, a Spanish painter, gained recognition for his religious and historical paintings, many of which adorned churches and monasteries in Andalusia. Later, in the 19th century, José Mojica, a Cuban poet and writer, made significant contributions to the literary world with his works that celebrated the beauty of his homeland and explored themes of love and patriotism.
One of the most renowned individuals with the surname Mojica was Narciso Mojica y Díaz (1833-1900), a Cuban patriot and military leader who played a crucial role in the Cuban War of Independence against Spanish colonial rule. He is remembered as a skilled strategist and a dedicated advocate for Cuban sovereignty.
The surname Mojica has also been associated with various place names and locations in Spain, such as the town of Mojácar in the province of Almería, which may have derived its name from the Arabic word "muwajjaha," similar to the origin of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mojica
Among Census respondents with the surname Mojica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%) and White (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mojica 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 Mojica surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.7% · 12,813
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 911
- White5.2% · 768
- Black or African American0.9% · 139
- Two or more races0.7% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mojica
Mojica 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
#2,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,737
+3,934 bearers (+36.4%)
Per 100,000 5.00
Rank movement Up 627 places
2020
#2,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,774
+37 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Up 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,077 | 10,803 | 4.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,450 | 14,737 | 5.00 | +3,934 bearers (+36.4%) | Up 627 places |
| 2020 | #2,406 | 14,774 | 4.94 | +37 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 44 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 Mojica 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 | #2,450 | #2,406 | 1.8% |
| Count | 14,737 | 14,774 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.00 | 4.94 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mojica bearers went from 14,737 to 14,774 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,450 to #2,406.
FAQ
Mojica surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mojica?
Name Census estimates that about 16,942 living Americans carry the surname Mojica. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,231 residents.
How common is Mojica?
Mojica ranks #2,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,774 people with the surname Mojica. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,942), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Mojica.
Has Mojica become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mojica went from 14,737 recorded bearers to 14,774. That is an increase of 37 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,450 to #2,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Mojica?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mojica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%) and White (5.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mojica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (12,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mojica appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%), White (5.2%). 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 Mojica (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 Mojica mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Muxika, referring to someone from the Basque town of Muxika. 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 Mojica (4.94 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 Mojica?
See how common the surname Mojica is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.