2000
#8,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Munos
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "monachus," meaning monk, likely referring to an ancestor who was a monk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,020 Americans carry the last name Munos. That puts it at #11,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munos 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
3.0K
1 in 113,495
Census rank
#11,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,634 bearers of the surname Munos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munos
The surname Munos is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Castile in central Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "muño," which means "fist" or "hand guard," indicating that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in activities related to combat or warfare.
The earliest recorded instances of the Munos surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with mentions found in various historical documents and records from the Kingdom of Castile. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval Spanish manuscript that documented the ownership of lands and properties in the region.
During the 13th century, the Munos surname gained prominence, with several individuals bearing the name holding important positions within the Castilian nobility and military. One such figure was Rodrigo Munos, a renowned knight and military commander who served under King Alfonso X of Castile in the reconquista against the Moors in the mid-1200s.
As the Reconquista progressed and the Iberian Peninsula was gradually regained from Moorish rule, the Munos surname spread to other regions of Spain, including Andalusia and Aragon. In the 14th century, records show the Munos family establishing roots in the city of Seville, where they played a significant role in the local government and economy.
Throughout the centuries, the Munos surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including:
1. Juan Munos de Cuellar (1350-1421), a Spanish nobleman and diplomat who served as ambassador to the court of King Henry IV of England.
2. Pedro Munos Sarmiento (1480-1548), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe.
3. María Munos de Ayala (1556-1628), a Spanish playwright and poet who made significant contributions to the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
4. Francisco Munos Quesada (1675-1738), a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications and public buildings in colonial Latin America.
5. José Munos Delgado (1786-1856), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1843 to 1844.
While the Munos surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. The name has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Muños or Muñoz, but its origins can be traced back to the medieval Castilian region of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munos
Among Census respondents with the surname Munos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Munos 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 Munos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 2,421
- White5.9% · 155
- Black or African American1.2% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- Two or more races0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munos
Munos 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
#9,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,610
+24 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 588 places
2020
#11,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,634
-976 bearers (-27.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 2,391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,462 | 3,586 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,050 | 3,610 | 1.22 | +24 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 588 places |
| 2020 | #11,441 | 2,634 | 0.88 | -976 bearers (-27.0%) | Down 2,391 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 Munos 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 | #9,050 | #11,441 | -26.4% |
| Count | 3,610 | 2,634 | -27.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 0.88 | -27.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munos bearers went from 3,610 to 2,634 (-27.0% change). The surname moved down 2,391 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,050 to #11,441.
FAQ
Munos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munos?
Name Census estimates that about 3,020 living Americans carry the surname Munos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,495 residents.
How common is Munos?
Munos ranks #11,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,634 people with the surname Munos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,020), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Munos.
Has Munos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munos went from 3,610 recorded bearers to 2,634. That is a decrease of 976 (-27.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,050 to #11,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Munos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Munos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (5.9%), Black (1.2%). 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 Munos (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 Munos mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "monachus," meaning monk, likely referring to an ancestor who was a monk. 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 Munos (0.88 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 Americans have the surname Munos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.