Mujica last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Mujica

Derived from a place name meaning "boundary marker" in Basque, likely referring to one who lived near a boundary.

Mujica, 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 Mujica surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mujica in America

Mujica is the 12033rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mujica surname appeared 2,594 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 Mujica.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mujica 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 12033 14641 -19.55%
Count 2,594 1,863 32.80%
Proportion per 100k 0.88 0.69 24.20%

The history of the last name Mujica

The surname Mujica is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the northern regions of Spain, particularly the Basque Country and Navarre. It is believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, possibly as early as the 8th or 9th century.

One theory suggests that Mujica is derived from the Basque word "muxi," which means "boundary" or "limit," combined with the Spanish suffix "-ica." This could indicate that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a boundary or border region. Alternatively, it may have originated from a place name or a personal nickname.

In the early records of the Kingdom of Navarre, there are mentions of individuals bearing the Mujica surname, though the exact dates and contexts are uncertain. One notable figure from this era was Juan Mujica, a military commander who fought alongside King Sancho VII of Navarre in the early 13th century.

As the centuries passed, the Mujica name spread throughout Spain and eventually to other parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One of the earliest documented instances of the name in the Americas is found in the records of the Viceroyalty of Peru, where a Pedro Mujica is mentioned as a landowner in the late 16th century.

During the colonial period, several members of the Mujica family made significant contributions. Miguel Mujica y Mujica (1619-1688) was a prominent Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Bishop of Arequipa in present-day Peru. Tomás Mujica (1768-1842), born in Lima, was a military leader who fought in the Spanish American wars of independence.

In more recent times, notable individuals with the surname Mujica include José Mujica (born 1935), a former President of Uruguay known for his humble lifestyle and progressive policies. Alejandro Mujica (born 1961) is a Mexican actor and director, while Dalmiro Mujica (1949-2021) was a renowned Uruguayan journalist and writer.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Muxica or Mujika, have also existed throughout history, reflecting regional and linguistic variations within the Spanish-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mujica

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

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 Mujica was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.36% 165
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.35% 9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 92.95% 2,411

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.36% 7.94% -22.10%
Black 0.35% 0.48% -31.33%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.48% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.27% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.27% (S)%
Hispanic 92.95% 90.55% 2.62%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Mujica last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mujica-surname-popularity/.

"Mujica last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mujica-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

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

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