Molinar last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Molinar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Molinar.

Meaning of Molinar

Derived from a place name referring to a mill or a person who worked in or owned a mill.

Molinar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Molinar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Molinar in America

Molinar is the 9129th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Molinar surname appeared 3,577 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Molinar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Molinar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9129 9736 -6.44%
Count 3,577 3,064 15.45%
Proportion per 100k 1.21 1.14 5.96%

The history of the last name Molinar

The surname Molinar originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "molino," which means "mill." This suggests that the name's origins trace back to individuals who worked at or owned mills, likely for grinding grain or other materials.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Molinar can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions like Catalonia and Valencia. Variations in spelling, such as Molinari and Molinero, were also common during this time.

One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Juan Molinar, a prominent Spanish painter who lived in the 15th century (c. 1415-1485). He is known for his religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches and monasteries across Spain.

Another significant individual was Pedro Molinar, a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Molinar played a crucial role in the exploration and settlement of the Caribbean islands.

In the 16th century, the Molinar family established itself as a prominent landowning dynasty in the region of Aragon. One member, Juana Molinar (c. 1520-1585), was a renowned patron of the arts and supported many artists and writers during the Spanish Renaissance.

Moving forward to the 17th century, Miguel Molinar (1628-1696) was a celebrated Spanish playwright and poet. His works, which often explored themes of love and honor, were widely performed in theaters across Spain and Latin America.

Another notable figure was Emilio Molinar (1784-1853), a Spanish military officer and politician who fought in the Peninsular War against Napoleon's forces. He later served as a member of the Spanish parliament and advocated for liberal reforms.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Molinar, which has its roots in the medieval Spanish tradition of mills and their importance in agricultural communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Molinar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Molinar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Molinar was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 14.84% 531
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.53% 19
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.34% 12
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.42% 15
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.28% 10
Hispanic Origin 83.59% 2,990

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Molinar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 14.84% 15.01% -1.14%
Black 0.53% 0.36% 38.20%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.34% 0.29% 15.87%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.42% 0.39% 7.41%
Two or More Races 0.28% 0.39% -32.84%
Hispanic 83.59% 83.55% 0.05%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Molinar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Molinar, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Molinar last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/molinar-surname-popularity/.

"Molinar last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/molinar-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Molinar last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/molinar-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.