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

Alvarenga, 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 Alvarenga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alvarenga in America

Alvarenga is the 4449th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alvarenga surname appeared 7,973 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 Alvarenga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alvarenga 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 Alvarenga

The surname Alvarenga is of Portuguese origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the given name Álvaro, a name of Germanic roots meaning "elf warrior" or "protector of the elves." The suffix "-enga" denotes a place of origin or residence.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Alvarenga appear in historical documents from the region of Beira, Portugal. It is believed that the name may have originated from a small village or hamlet named Alvarenga, although the exact location is uncertain due to the passage of time and changes in place names.

During the Age of Discovery, many Portuguese explorers and settlers carried the name Alvarenga to various parts of the world, including Brazil and other Portuguese colonies. One notable example is João Álvares Fagundes, a Portuguese explorer born in the late 15th century, who is credited with being the first European to set foot in present-day Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the 16th century, the name Alvarenga can be found in records from the Portuguese Inquisition, suggesting that some individuals bearing this surname were persecuted for their religious beliefs or practices during this turbulent period in history.

Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Alvarenga have achieved notable accomplishments or gained prominence in various fields:

1. Manuel Alvarenga (1719-1797), a Portuguese botanist and naturalist who contributed to the study of the flora of Brazil.
2. Pedro de Alvarenga (1590-1654), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who worked in Brazil and is recognized for his efforts in converting indigenous peoples to Christianity.
3. Inácio José de Alvarenga Peixoto (1742-1793), a Brazilian poet and satirist known for his critical works that challenged the colonial establishment.
4. Lázaro Álvares Pereira (1417-1480), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415.
5. Fernão Álvares do Oriente (1435-1500), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who was instrumental in establishing Portuguese trade routes to the East Indies.

While the surname Alvarenga is most commonly associated with Portugal and Brazil, it can also be found in other parts of the world where Portuguese emigrants settled, such as the United States, Canada, and various African and Asian countries with historical Portuguese ties.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alvarenga

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

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

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

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