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

Muela, 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 Muela surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Muela in America

Muela is the 33450th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Muela surname appeared 682 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Muela.

We can also compare 2010 data for Muela 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.

The history of the last name Muela

The surname MUELA has its origins in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "muela," which translates to "molar tooth" or "grindstone." This suggests that the name may have been occupational in nature, referring to someone who worked as a miller or a stonecutter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MUELA surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census document from the 14th century. This record lists several individuals with the surname MUELA living in various regions of Castile.

During the 15th century, the MUELA name appeared in various documents and records across Spain. One notable example is Juan de Muela, a prominent Spanish architect who was responsible for the construction of several churches and monasteries in Seville and its surrounding areas between 1450 and 1480.

In the 16th century, the MUELA surname spread to the Americas as a result of Spanish colonization. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name in the New World was Alonso de Muela, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

Another prominent figure bearing the MUELA surname was Pedro de Muela y Escobar, a Spanish military officer and governor of the Province of Venezuela between 1678 and 1683. He played a significant role in defending the region against pirate attacks and indigenous uprisings.

In the 18th century, José María Muela y Muñoz (1742-1808) was a renowned Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. He was recognized as one of the leading artists of his time in Spain.

During the 19th century, the MUELA surname continued to be present in various parts of Spain and its former colonies. One notable individual was Manuel Muela Martínez (1854-1919), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Congress of Deputies, representing the province of Alicante.

Throughout its history, the MUELA surname has been associated with various place names and localities across Spain, such as Muela de San Juan in Castile-La Mancha and Muela de Jalón in Aragon. These place names likely derived from the word "muela," referring to the geographical features or occupations related to the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Muela

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

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 Muela was:

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 Muela has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Muela was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Muela, 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!