Abrego last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Abrego is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Abrego.

Meaning of Abrego

A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Ábrego.

Abrego, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Abrego surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Abrego in America

Abrego is the 4606th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Abrego surname appeared 7,702 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Abrego.

We can also compare 2010 data for Abrego to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4606 5882 -24.33%
Count 7,702 5,387 35.37%
Proportion per 100k 2.61 2.00 26.46%

The history of the last name Abrego

The surname Abrego has its origins in Spain, with records dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "abrigo," meaning shelter or refuge, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived in or provided shelter.

One of the earliest references to this surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from 1289 that recorded the distribution of lands and properties among the victorious Christian soldiers after the conquest of Seville. The name appears as "Abrego," indicating its presence in the region during that time.

In the 15th century, the name was recorded in various historical documents, including the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions a place called "Abrego," which could have been the origin of the surname for those living in or near that location.

One notable individual bearing this surname was Diego Abrego, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico in the early 16th century. He participated in several battles against the Aztecs and was later granted land in the newly conquered territories.

Another prominent figure was Juan de Abrego, a Spanish navigator and explorer who sailed with Vasco Núñez de Balboa in the early 1500s. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set eyes on the Pacific Ocean from the Americas.

In the 17th century, the surname Abrego appeared in records related to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. One such reference is found in the writings of the Spanish friar and historian Juan de la Concepción, who mentioned an individual named Pedro de Abrego as one of the early settlers in the islands.

During the 18th century, the Abrego family played a role in the Spanish colonial administration of Mexico. Francisco de Abrego served as the governor of the province of Nuevo León from 1738 to 1742, while his relative, Ignacio de Abrego, held the position of mayor of the city of Monterrey in the late 1700s.

As the centuries progressed, the Abrego surname spread across Spanish-speaking regions, including parts of Latin America, where it remains a common surname to this day.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Abrego

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Abrego.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Abrego was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 5.87% 452
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.23% 18
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.78% 137
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.16% 12
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.30% 23
Hispanic Origin 91.66% 7,060

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Abrego has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 5.87% 6.16% -4.82%
Black 0.23% 0.26% -12.24%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.78% 0.97% 58.91%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.16% 0.17% -6.06%
Two or More Races 0.30% 0.48% -46.15%
Hispanic 91.66% 91.96% -0.33%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Abrego was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Abrego, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Abrego last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 27, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/abrego-surname-popularity/.

"Abrego last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/abrego-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 July, 2024

Abrego last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/abrego-surname-popularity/.

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