2000
#3,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,749
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.24
Uncommon Last name
Munguia
A Basque surname derived from the place name Mungia, referring to someone from the town of Mungia in Biscay, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,089 Americans carry the last name Munguia. That puts it at #2,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,328 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munguia 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
14K
1 in 24,328
Census rank
#2,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,286 bearers of the surname Munguia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munguia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munguia
The surname Munguia is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "mungia," which means "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptive name given to someone who lived near a hill or mountain in the Basque region of Spain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Munguia can be found in the archives of the town of Munguia, located in the province of Biscay, in northern Spain. The town itself is believed to have been named after the local Basque word for "hill," further supporting the theory that the surname originated from a place name.
In the 17th century, the name Munguia appeared in several historical records, including the baptismal records of the parish church of Munguia. One notable individual from this time was Juan de Munguia, a Spanish soldier who served in the Spanish army during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the name Munguia spread across various regions of the Americas, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Americas is that of Andrés de Munguia, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Munguia was Clemente de Jesús Munguía y Núñez (1810-1868), a Mexican Catholic bishop and philosopher. He was a vocal critic of the liberal reforms of the time and played a significant role in the political and religious debates of his era.
Another notable individual with the surname Munguia was Ernesto Munguia (1912-1989), a Salvadoran painter and sculptor. He was a prominent figure in the Central American art scene and is known for his vibrant and colorful works that captured the essence of his native El Salvador.
Throughout history, the surname Munguia has been associated with various individuals from different walks of life, including artists, soldiers, explorers, and religious leaders. While the name may have originated from a humble place name in the Basque region of Spain, it has since spread across the globe, carried by those who share this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munguia
Among Census respondents with the surname Munguia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Munguia 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 Munguia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 11,635
- White4.2% · 510
- Black or African American0.4% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
- Two or more races0.3% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munguia
Munguia 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
#2,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,615
+3,866 bearers (+44.2%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Up 866 places
2020
#2,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,286
-329 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 4.11
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,723 | 8,749 | 3.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,857 | 12,615 | 4.28 | +3,866 bearers (+44.2%) | Up 866 places |
| 2020 | #2,863 | 12,286 | 4.11 | -329 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 6 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 Munguia 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 | #2,857 | #2,863 | -0.2% |
| Count | 12,615 | 12,286 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.28 | 4.11 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munguia bearers went from 12,615 to 12,286 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,857 to #2,863.
FAQ
Munguia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munguia?
Name Census estimates that about 14,089 living Americans carry the surname Munguia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,328 residents.
How common is Munguia?
Munguia ranks #2,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,286 people with the surname Munguia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Munguia.
Has Munguia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munguia went from 12,615 recorded bearers to 12,286. That is a decrease of 329 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,857 to #2,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Munguia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munguia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (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 Munguia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (11,635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munguia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.7%), White (4.2%), Black (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 Munguia (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 Munguia mean?
A Basque surname derived from the place name Mungia, referring to someone from the town of Mungia in Biscay, Spain. 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 Munguia (4.11 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 share the surname Munguia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.