Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to Lambeth, Peterborough and Ealing. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
The surname Mendonca originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the place name Mendonca, a town located in the Viseu District of northern Portugal. The name is believed to have roots in the Latinized name Mundonica, which itself may come from the Latin words "mundus" meaning "world" and "nova" meaning "new".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mendonca surname can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens, a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century. This document mentions individuals with the Mendonca surname serving as knights and landowners during that time. The surname also appears in various charters and property records from the 13th to 15th centuries in the Viseu and Beira regions of Portugal.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese explorers and navigators bearing the Mendonca surname played significant roles in the expansion of the Portuguese Empire. Afonso de Mendonca (1453-1502) was a notable navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1498. João de Mendonca (1485-1536) was a military commander who served in the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510.
In the 17th century, the Mendonca family established itself in Brazil, where it became one of the prominent noble families. António de Mendonca Furtado (1670-1730) was a notable colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Captaincy of Pernambuco in Brazil from 1690 to 1691. His nephew, Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado (1701-1769), was a prominent statesman and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and War under King Joseph I of Portugal.
Another notable figure with the Mendonca surname was Henrique Lopes de Mendonça (1856-1931), a Portuguese writer, journalist, and diplomat who served as the Ambassador of Portugal to the United States from 1914 to 1920. His works, including the novel "A Ilustre Casa de Ramires," are considered classics of Portuguese literature.
Top counties
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Royal Navy leads with 1 Mendoncas recorded in 1881 and an index of 909.09x.
| County | Total | Frequency | Index |
| Royal Navy | 1 | 0.00% | 909.09x |
Top districts and towns
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Royal Navy in Royal Navy leads with 1 Mendoncas recorded in 1881 and an index of 1000.00x.
| Place | Total | Frequency | Index |
| Royal Navy | 1 | 0.00% | 1000.00x |
Top male names
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mendonca surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Top occupations
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mendonca households.