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

Murcia, 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 Murcia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Murcia in America

Murcia is the 12156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Murcia surname appeared 2,563 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 Murcia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Murcia 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 Murcia

The surname Murcia originated in Spain, specifically in the region of the same name, Murcia. It is derived from the Latin name "Murtia," which referred to the ancient city of Murcia, located in southeastern Spain. The name is believed to have originated in the 9th century during the Moorish conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

The city of Murcia was an important center during the Moorish rule in Spain, and its name was likely derived from the Arabic word "mursiyah," meaning "the prosperous." This suggests that the surname Murcia may have been initially used to identify individuals who came from or lived in the city or region of Murcia.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Murcia can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Murcia, a document dating back to the 13th century, which recorded the distribution of land and property after the Christian reconquest of the region from the Moors.

In the 14th century, the surname Murcia appears in various historical records, such as the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like document that provided detailed information about the population and economic activities in different parts of Spain.

Notable individuals who bore the surname Murcia include Pedro Murcia (1639-1695), a Spanish Baroque guitarist and composer, and Cristóbal Murcia (1665-1725), a Spanish musician and composer of the Baroque period. Additionally, José Joaquín Murcia (1820-1898) was a Colombian politician and writer, and Juan Bautista Murcia (1860-1926) was a Honduran politician and diplomat.

The surname Murcia has also been associated with various place names and their older spellings. For example, the town of Murcia in Spain was formerly known as "Murtia" or "Mursiya" during the Moorish period. Similarly, the town of Murcia in Colombia was initially called "Murcía" before adopting its current spelling.

Throughout history, the surname Murcia has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, politicians, and diplomats, reflecting its Spanish origins and the widespread diaspora of individuals from the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Murcia

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

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

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

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