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

Mungia, 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 Mungia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mungia in America

Mungia is the 15340th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mungia surname appeared 1,912 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 Mungia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mungia 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 Mungia

The surname Mungia originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to derive from the Basque word "mungia," which means "hill" or "small mountain," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near or on a particular hill or elevated area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mungia can be found in a medieval charter from the Kingdom of Navarre, dated around 1150, which mentions a nobleman named Lope de Mungia. This document provides evidence of the name's presence in the region during that time period.

In the 14th century, there are records of a Basque family named Mungia residing in the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, which was an important center of trade and commerce in the region. This family likely played a significant role in the local community and may have held positions of influence or authority.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Spanish Empire expanded its reach across the Americas, some individuals bearing the surname Mungia are known to have participated in the exploration and colonization efforts. For instance, Juan de Mungia, born in 1532 in Bilbao, was a navigator and explorer who accompanied several expeditions to the Caribbean and Central America.

Another notable bearer of the Mungia name was Ramón de Mungia, a 17th-century Basque philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Salamanca and authored several works on metaphysics and natural philosophy.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was José María Mungia, a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1842 to 1845. He was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1789 and played a significant role in the administration of the island during his tenure.

As the Basque diaspora spread across different parts of the world, the surname Mungia has been carried to various countries, including Mexico, Argentina, and the United States, where it has been adopted and adapted over time.

It is worth noting that the name Mungia has also been associated with several place names in the Basque region, such as the municipality of Mungia in Biscay, further reinforcing its connection to the geographical features of the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mungia

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

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

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

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