2000
#835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.96
Uncommon Last name
Meza
A Spanish surname derived from the word "mesa," meaning "table" or "plateau," likely referring to a person's dwelling place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 59,684 Americans carry the last name Meza. That puts it at #634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meza 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
60K
1 in 5,743
Census rank
#634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
52K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 52,047 bearers of the surname Meza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meza
The surname Meza has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 14th century. It is a topographic name derived from the Spanish word "mesa," meaning a flat-topped hill or a plateau. Many families with this surname likely hailed from areas with such geographical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Meza surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a medieval document detailing the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors in the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of Andalusia by that time.
In the 16th century, the Meza surname appears in various records and manuscripts from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For instance, Juan de Meza, a Spanish conquistador, was among the early settlers in what is now Colombia, arriving in the 1530s.
Another notable bearer of the Meza name was Diego de Meza y Guzmán, a Spanish soldier and explorer who lived from 1570 to 1630. He served as Governor of Gibraltar and was involved in the colonization efforts in the West Indies.
During the 17th century, the Meza surname was also found in parts of Mexico, where it may have been influenced by the Nahuatl word "metztli," meaning moon. This could potentially explain some variations in spelling, such as Metzar or Metzger.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the Meza surname was José de Meza y Salazar, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French. He was born in 1763 and died in 1817.
As the Spanish Empire expanded and families migrated, the Meza surname spread across various regions of Latin America, including Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina. In some areas, the name may have been influenced by local indigenous languages or dialects, leading to slight variations in spelling or pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meza
Among Census respondents with the surname Meza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Meza 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 Meza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.6% · 49,214
- White4.3% · 2,221
- Two or more races0.3% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 159
- Black or African American0.3% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 136
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meza
Meza 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
#639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,230
+15,568 bearers (+41.3%)
Per 100,000 18.05
Rank movement Up 196 places
2020
#634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,047
-1,183 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 17.41
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #835 | 37,662 | 13.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #639 | 53,230 | 18.05 | +15,568 bearers (+41.3%) | Up 196 places |
| 2020 | #634 | 52,047 | 17.41 | -1,183 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 5 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 Meza 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 | #639 | #634 | 0.8% |
| Count | 53,230 | 52,047 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 18.05 | 17.41 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meza bearers went from 53,230 to 52,047 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #639 to #634.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Meza
FAQ
Meza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meza?
Name Census estimates that about 59,684 living Americans carry the surname Meza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,743 residents.
How common is Meza?
Meza ranks #634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 52,047 people with the surname Meza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (59,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Meza.
Has Meza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meza went from 53,230 recorded bearers to 52,047. That is a decrease of 1,183 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #639 to #634.
What does the Census say about the background of Meza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Meza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (49,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.6%), White (4.3%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Meza (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 Meza mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "mesa," meaning "table" or "plateau," likely referring to a person's dwelling place. 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 Meza (17.41 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 Meza?
Find out how many people have the surname Meza on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.