2000
#134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 62.49
Common Last name
Mendoza
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Mendoza, derived from Basque mendi-otza meaning "cold mountain".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 278,393 Americans carry the last name Mendoza. That puts it at #88 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 81.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendoza 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 Mendoza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
278K
1 in 1,231
Census rank
#88
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
81.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
243K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 242,772 bearers of the surname Mendoza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 81.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 88th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and White (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendoza
The surname Mendoza originates from Spain and has its roots in the 8th century. It is derived from the Basque words "mendi" meaning mountain and "hotza" meaning cold, referring to a cold mountainous region. The name is closely linked to the town of Mendoza, located in the northern Spanish province of Álava.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Mendoza name dates back to the 10th century, appearing in the Becerro Galicano, an ancient manuscript containing genealogical records of prominent Spanish families. This document references a nobleman named Diego López de Mendoza, who lived during the reign of King Sancho I of León.
In the 12th century, the Mendoza family gained significant prominence and influence in Spain. Iñigo López de Mendoza, born in 1188, was a prominent military leader and served as the Lord of Hita and Buitrago. His descendants continued to play influential roles in Spanish politics and society throughout the subsequent centuries.
The Mendoza surname is also closely associated with the city of Mendoza in Argentina, which was founded in 1561 by Pedro del Castillo and named after the governor of Chile at the time, García Hurtado de Mendoza. This city, located in the western region of Argentina, became an important agricultural and wine-producing center.
Notable individuals bearing the Mendoza surname include:
1. Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (1465-1536), a Spanish Renaissance writer, poet, and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire and Venice.
2. Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones (1398-1458), known as the Marquis of Santillana, a prominent Spanish poet and patron of the arts during the Renaissance.
3. Francisco de Mendoza (1508-1566), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and founded the city of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala.
4. Antonio de Mendoza (1490-1552), the first viceroy of New Spain (Mexico) and a significant figure in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
5. María de Mendoza (1508-1567), a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her literary salon and support of writers and artists during the Spanish Renaissance.
While the Mendoza surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread across the globe and is now found in various countries, particularly in Latin America, where it is a prominent surname with a rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendoza
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and White (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendoza 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 Mendoza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.6% · 215,026
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 13,412
- White4.6% · 11,252
- Two or more races0.6% · 1,399
- Black or African American0.4% · 1,009
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 674
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendoza
Mendoza 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
#88
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 242,771
+74,204 bearers (+44.0%)
Per 100,000 82.30
Rank movement Up 46 places
2020
#88
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 242,772
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 81.22
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134 | 168,567 | 62.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88 | 242,771 | 82.30 | +74,204 bearers (+44.0%) | Up 46 places |
| 2020 | #88 | 242,772 | 81.22 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | No rank change |
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 Mendoza 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 | #88 | #88 | 0.0% |
| Count | 242,771 | 242,772 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 82.30 | 81.22 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendoza bearers went from 242,771 to 242,772 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #88.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mendoza
FAQ
Mendoza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendoza?
Name Census estimates that about 278,393 living Americans carry the surname Mendoza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,231 residents.
How common is Mendoza?
Mendoza ranks #88 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 81.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 81 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 242,772 people with the surname Mendoza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (278,393), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 81.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 81.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 81 of them to have the surname Mendoza.
Has Mendoza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendoza went from 242,771 recorded bearers to 242,772. That is an increase of 1 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it stayed at #88.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendoza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%) and White (4.6%). 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 Mendoza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (215,026 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendoza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%), White (4.6%). 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 Mendoza (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 Mendoza mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Mendoza, derived from Basque mendi-otza meaning "cold mountain". 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 Mendoza (81.22 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 Mendoza?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.