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

Ala, 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 Ala surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ala in America

Ala is the 31211th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ala surname appeared 743 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 Ala.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ala 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.

The history of the last name Ala

The surname Ala originates from Spain and has its roots in the Basque language. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "ala," which means "wing." The name was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a distinctive physical feature or personal characteristic that resembled a wing.

In the early medieval period, the name Ala was predominantly found in the Basque regions of northern Spain and southwestern France. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Becerro Galicano, a 13th-century manuscript that documented landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of León.

During the 14th century, the name Ala appears in various historical documents related to the Castilian nobility. Notable individuals from this period include Sancho Ala, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso XI in the Siege of Gibraltar in 1349.

As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Ala spread to other parts of Spain and its colonies in the Americas. One prominent figure was Juan Ala, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.

In the 19th century, the name Ala gained recognition through the works of Spanish writer and poet Gaspar Núñez de Arce (1834-1903), who wrote a celebrated poem titled "La última lamentación de Lord Ala" (The Last Lament of Lord Ala).

Another notable bearer of the surname was Francisco Ala (1806-1887), a Spanish painter known for his realistic portraiture and historical scenes. His works can be found in prestigious museums such as the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Throughout its history, the surname Ala has also been associated with various place names, particularly in the Basque Country and Navarre. For instance, the town of Ala in the province of Álava is believed to have derived its name from the Basque word "ala," possibly referring to a location near a hill or slope resembling a wing.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ala

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

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 Ala was:

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

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

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

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