2000
#14,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Mujica
Derived from a place name meaning "boundary marker" in Basque, likely referring to one who lived near a boundary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,209 Americans carry the last name Mujica. That puts it at #10,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mujica 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
3.2K
1 in 106,810
Census rank
#10,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,798 bearers of the surname Mujica in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mujica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mujica
Among Census respondents with the surname Mujica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mujica 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 Mujica surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.8% · 2,596
- White6.4% · 180
- Two or more races0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mujica
Mujica 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
#12,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
+731 bearers (+39.2%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 2,608 places
2020
#10,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,798
+204 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 1,153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,641 | 1,863 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,033 | 2,594 | 0.88 | +731 bearers (+39.2%) | Up 2,608 places |
| 2020 | #10,880 | 2,798 | 0.94 | +204 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 1,153 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 Mujica 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 | #12,033 | #10,880 | 9.6% |
| Count | 2,594 | 2,798 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.94 | 6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mujica bearers went from 2,594 to 2,798 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 1,153 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,033 to #10,880.
FAQ
Mujica surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mujica?
Name Census estimates that about 3,209 living Americans carry the surname Mujica. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,810 residents.
How common is Mujica?
Mujica ranks #10,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,798 people with the surname Mujica. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,209), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mujica.
Has Mujica become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mujica went from 2,594 recorded bearers to 2,798. That is an increase of 204 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,033 to #10,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Mujica?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mujica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Mujica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mujica appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.8%), White (6.4%), Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Mujica (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 Mujica mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "boundary marker" in Basque, likely referring to one who lived near a boundary. 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 Mujica (0.94 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 Mujica?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Mujica? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.