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

Alires, 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 Alires surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alires in America

Alires is the 48530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alires surname appeared 435 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 Alires.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alires 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 Alires

The surname Alires is believed to have originated in Portugal, likely emerging during the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Portuguese words "ali" meaning "there" and "res" meaning "thing" or "matter." The name may have initially referred to a person or family associated with a particular place or object, though the precise origin is unclear.

One of the earliest known references to the Alires surname can be found in a Portuguese manuscript from the late 14th century, which mentions a landowner named João Alires. This suggests that the name was already established among the Portuguese nobility or landowning class by that time.

In the 15th century, records show an individual named Diogo Alires serving as a soldier in the Portuguese army during the Reconquista, the campaign to reclaim territories from the Moors. His participation in this significant historical event indicates that the Alires name had spread throughout Portugal by the late medieval period.

During the 16th century, the Alires surname began to appear in various regions of Spain, likely carried there by Portuguese migrants or settlers. A notable figure from this era was Francisco Alires, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 1500s.

In the 17th century, a Portuguese woman named Maria Alires gained recognition as a skilled embroiderer, with her intricate needlework commissioned by the wealthy elite of Lisbon. Her work can still be seen in some of the city's historic churches and museums.

As the Portuguese Empire expanded in the 18th century, the Alires surname traveled to various colonies and outposts around the world. One example is João Alires, a Portuguese trader who settled in Goa, India, in the mid-1700s and established a successful spice trading business.

In the 19th century, a Brazilian artist named Rodrigo Alires gained acclaim for his landscape paintings depicting the lush rainforests and vibrant flora of the Amazon region. His works are now housed in prestigious museums throughout Brazil and beyond.

These examples illustrate the global reach and historical significance of the Alires surname, which has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and played a role in various cultural and historical events over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alires

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

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

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

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