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

Alejo, 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 Alejo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alejo in America

Alejo is the 5486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alejo surname appeared 6,339 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Alejo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alejo 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 Alejo

The surname Alejo originated in Spain during the medieval period, derived from the Spanish form of the Greek name Alexios, meaning "defender" or "helper." The earliest known reference to this name dates back to the 11th century in the region of Castile, where it was commonly used among Christian families.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Alejo was Pedro Alejo, a prominent nobleman who served as a military commander during the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. His exploits were documented in the chronicles of Alfonso X, the King of Castile and León, in the 13th century.

The name Alejo also appears in various medieval records and manuscripts from Spain, including the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript detailing the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have been associated with the religious and cultural significance of the Camino de Santiago during that era.

During the 15th century, the surname Alejo gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, where it was associated with the nobility and landowners. One notable figure was Juan Alejo de Villavicencio, a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts, who commissioned several works of art and architecture in the city of Seville.

In the 16th century, the Alejo family played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One of the most renowned individuals was Hernán Alejo, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico. He later served as a governor in several regions of New Spain (present-day Mexico) and contributed to the establishment of Spanish settlements.

Another notable figure was María Alejo de Cervantes, a 17th-century writer and poet from Madrid, who gained recognition for her literary works and her involvement in the cultural circles of the Spanish Golden Age. Her poetry and plays were widely acclaimed during her lifetime and were published in various anthologies.

As the centuries passed, individuals with the surname Alejo continued to make their mark in various fields, including the arts, literature, and academia. One such figure was José Alejo Fernández, a renowned Spanish philosopher and educator of the 19th century, who made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alejo

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

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

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

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