2000
#176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 51.66
Common Last name
Medina
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Medina, meaning "city" in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 213,814 Americans carry the last name Medina. That puts it at #132 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 62.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medina 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Medina with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
214K
1 in 1,603
Census rank
#132
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
62.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
186K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 186,456 bearers of the surname Medina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 62.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 132nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medina
The surname Medina originated in Spain and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Arabic word "madinat," meaning "city" or "town." This name was likely given to someone who lived in or near a prominent city, possibly Medina in Saudi Arabia, which was an important religious center for Muslims.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Medina surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document detailing the distribution of land and property in Seville after the city was conquered by the Christian forces of King Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Medina, suggesting that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the Medina surname was Pedro Medina, a Spanish cartographer and navigator who produced important maps and navigational charts. He was born around 1493 and played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of the New World.
Another prominent individual with the Medina surname was Juan de Medina, a Spanish Renaissance poet and humanist who lived during the 16th century. He was born in Seville around 1490 and gained recognition for his literary works, including poems and translations of classical texts.
In the 17th century, Diego de Medina y Bañuelos was a Spanish playwright and poet who contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was born in Madrid in 1610 and is best known for his plays and autos sacramentales (religious dramas).
During the 18th century, Juan Medina Rendón was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1768 to 1771. He was born in Seville in 1716 and played a significant role in the development and defense of the island during his tenure as governor.
The surname Medina has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Medina del Campo, Medina de Rioseco, and Medina-Sidonia, further reinforcing its connection to urban settlements and cities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medina
Among Census respondents with the surname Medina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Medina 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 Medina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.4% · 168,493
- White5.9% · 11,080
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 3,956
- Black or African American0.7% · 1,332
- Two or more races0.5% · 995
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 600
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medina
Medina 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
#133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188,497
+49,144 bearers (+35.3%)
Per 100,000 63.90
Rank movement Up 43 places
2020
#132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 186,456
-2,041 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 62.38
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #176 | 139,353 | 51.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133 | 188,497 | 63.90 | +49,144 bearers (+35.3%) | Up 43 places |
| 2020 | #132 | 186,456 | 62.38 | -2,041 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 1 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 Medina 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 | #133 | #132 | 0.8% |
| Count | 188,497 | 186,456 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 63.90 | 62.38 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medina bearers went from 188,497 to 186,456 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #133 to #132.
FAQ
Medina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medina?
Name Census estimates that about 213,814 living Americans carry the surname Medina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,603 residents.
How common is Medina?
Medina ranks #132 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 62.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 62 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 186,456 people with the surname Medina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (213,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 62.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 62.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 62 of them to have the surname Medina.
Has Medina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medina went from 188,497 recorded bearers to 186,456. That is a decrease of 2,041 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #133 to #132.
What does the Census say about the background of Medina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Medina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (168,493 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.4%), White (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Medina (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 Medina mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Medina, meaning "city" in Arabic. 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 Medina (62.38 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 have the surname Medina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.