Agema last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Agema

A Greek surname derived from the word "agema," referring to a select body of soldiers or guards.

Agema, 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 Agema surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Agema in America

Agema is the 107669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Agema surname appeared 165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Agema.

We can also compare 2010 data for Agema 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 107669 107038 0.59%
Count 165 154 6.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.06 0.00%

The history of the last name Agema

The surname AGEMA has its origins in Greece, with records dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the ancient Greek word "agema," which referred to a military unit or troop formation. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who served in such military units or had strong associations with military endeavors.

In ancient Greek literature, there are several references to the term "agema." For instance, the historian Xenophon mentions an "agema" in his work "Anabasis," describing it as a select group of soldiers who formed the vanguard of the army. This lends credence to the theory that the surname AGEMA has military origins and was likely bestowed upon individuals who held prestigious positions within these elite military units.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname AGEMA can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, with mentions found in official records and manuscripts from the 9th century CE. One notable individual bearing this name was Agema Porphyrogenitos, a member of the imperial family who lived during the reign of Emperor Basil I in the late 9th century.

During the medieval period, the surname AGEMA appears to have spread throughout the Greek-speaking regions of the Byzantine Empire and beyond. References to individuals with this surname can be found in various historical documents, including ecclesiastical records and chronicles from the 12th to 15th centuries.

One prominent figure from this era was Agema Kantakouzenos, a Byzantine nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the civil wars of the 14th century. He was born around 1300 and was a member of the influential Kantakouzenos family, which claimed descent from the Roman imperial dynasty.

Another notable individual was Agema Laskaris, a scholar and philosopher who lived in the 13th century. He was born in Nicaea, the capital of the Empire of Nicaea, and gained recognition for his teachings and writings on various subjects, including theology and philosophy.

In the 16th century, the surname AGEMA can be found in records from the Greek communities of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in areas such as Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and the Aegean islands. One individual of note was Agema Kydones, a merchant and ship owner who lived in the city of Chios during the late 16th century.

As the centuries passed, the surname AGEMA continued to be passed down through generations, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including the arts, literature, and academia. For instance, Agema Papadopoulos was a prominent Greek painter who lived in the 19th century and was known for his portraits and landscapes depicting scenes from everyday life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Agema

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

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 Agema was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.79% 163
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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 Agema has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 98.79% 96.75% 2.09%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

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 Agema was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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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!

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

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

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

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