2000
#17,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Murcia
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an origin in the region or city of Murcia in southeastern Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,499 Americans carry the last name Murcia. That puts it at #10,072 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murcia 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
3.5K
1 in 97,958
Census rank
#10,072
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,051 bearers of the surname Murcia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10072nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murcia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murcia
Among Census respondents with the surname Murcia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Murcia 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 Murcia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 2,871
- White3.9% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 38
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- Two or more races0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murcia
Murcia 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
#12,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
+1,083 bearers (+73.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 5,384 places
2020
#10,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,051
+488 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 2,084 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,540 | 1,480 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,156 | 2,563 | 0.87 | +1,083 bearers (+73.2%) | Up 5,384 places |
| 2020 | #10,072 | 3,051 | 1.02 | +488 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 2,084 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 Murcia 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 | #12,156 | #10,072 | 17.1% |
| Count | 2,563 | 3,051 | 19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 1.02 | 17.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murcia bearers went from 2,563 to 3,051 (+19.0% change). The surname moved up 2,084 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,156 to #10,072.
FAQ
Murcia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murcia?
Name Census estimates that about 3,499 living Americans carry the surname Murcia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,958 residents.
How common is Murcia?
Murcia ranks #10,072 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,051 people with the surname Murcia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Murcia.
Has Murcia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murcia went from 2,563 recorded bearers to 3,051. That is an increase of 488 (+19.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,156 to #10,072.
What does the Census say about the background of Murcia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murcia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Murcia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murcia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Murcia (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 Murcia mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an origin in the region or city of Murcia in southeastern 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 Murcia (1.02 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 Murcia?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Murcia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.