2000
#5,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,096
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.26
Uncommon Last name
Moncada
A habitational surname referring to a person from Moncada, a town in Valencia, Spain, or a similar place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,077 Americans carry the last name Moncada. That puts it at #3,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,014 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moncada 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
10K
1 in 34,014
Census rank
#3,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,788 bearers of the surname Moncada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moncada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moncada
The surname Moncada is of Spanish origin, originating from the town of Moncada, located near Valencia in eastern Spain. The name is derived from the Arabic words "munkar" meaning "nose" and "qada" meaning "mountain pass," indicating it may have referred to a prominent geographical feature in the area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Moncada surname can be traced back to the 12th century, appearing in documents from the Kingdom of Valencia. One notable example is Guillermo de Moncada, a military leader who fought against the Moors during the Reconquista in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Moncada family rose to prominence in Sicily, where they established themselves as a noble and influential dynasty. The most famous member of this branch was Guillermo Ramón de Moncada (1307-1390), who served as the Grand Seneschal of Sicily and played a crucial role in the Sicilian Vespers rebellion against the French.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Moncada surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies, particularly in the Americas. One prominent figure was Hugo de Moncada (1470-1528), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
Another notable individual was Francisco de Moncada (1586-1635), a Spanish admiral and viceroy of Valencia, who played a significant role in the Thirty Years' War. He is credited with leading the Spanish victory at the Battle of Callao in 1624 against the Dutch.
In the 18th century, María Luisa de Moncada y Aragón (1688-1707) was a Spanish noblewoman and heir to the Duchy of Moncada, whose marriage to the Duke of Medinaceli helped to consolidate the wealth and power of these two prominent families.
As the Moncada surname spread across Europe and the Americas, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Moncada, Moncado, and Moncalde, reflecting the influence of different languages and regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moncada
Among Census respondents with the surname Moncada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Moncada 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 Moncada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 7,903
- White7.6% · 666
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 119
- Black or African American0.5% · 45
- Two or more races0.4% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moncada
Moncada 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
#4,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,574
+2,478 bearers (+40.6%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Up 1,123 places
2020
#3,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,788
+214 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Up 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,257 | 6,096 | 2.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,134 | 8,574 | 2.91 | +2,478 bearers (+40.6%) | Up 1,123 places |
| 2020 | #3,921 | 8,788 | 2.94 | +214 bearers (+2.5%) | Up 213 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 Moncada 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 | #4,134 | #3,921 | 5.2% |
| Count | 8,574 | 8,788 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.91 | 2.94 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moncada bearers went from 8,574 to 8,788 (+2.5% change). The surname moved up 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,134 to #3,921.
FAQ
Moncada surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moncada?
Name Census estimates that about 10,077 living Americans carry the surname Moncada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,014 residents.
How common is Moncada?
Moncada ranks #3,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,788 people with the surname Moncada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Moncada.
Has Moncada become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moncada went from 8,574 recorded bearers to 8,788. That is an increase of 214 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,134 to #3,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Moncada?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moncada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Moncada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (7,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moncada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Moncada (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 Moncada mean?
A habitational surname referring to a person from Moncada, a town in Valencia, Spain, or a similar place. 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 Moncada (2.94 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 many people are called Moncada?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Moncada at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.