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

Baga, 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 Baga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baga in America

Baga is the 83226th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baga surname appeared 226 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 Baga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baga 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 Baga

The surname BAGA originates from the northern region of Portugal, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "baga," meaning "berry" or "small fruit," which suggests that the name may have originally been associated with those involved in the cultivation or trade of berries or other small fruits.

The earliest known record of the BAGA surname appears in the "Inquirições de D. Afonso III" (Inquiries of King Afonso III), a census-like document from the 13th century that recorded landowners and their properties throughout Portugal. This document mentions individuals bearing the surname BAGA in the northern regions of the country.

During the 15th century, the BAGA surname can be found in various municipal records and legal documents in the northern Portuguese towns of Viana do Castelo and Ponte de Lima. These records often refer to individuals engaged in agricultural activities, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the cultivation of crops or fruits.

One notable figure from history who bore the BAGA surname was João Baga (c. 1500-1570), a Portuguese cartographer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe. Baga played a crucial role in the expedition and is believed to have been among the few survivors who completed the entire journey.

In the 17th century, the BAGA surname appears in records from the Portuguese colonies in Brazil, suggesting that individuals with this name were among the early settlers in the region. One such individual was Francisco Baga (c. 1620-1690), a landowner and farmer in the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Another noteworthy figure was Manuel Baga (1720-1795), a Portuguese architect and engineer who designed several important buildings and infrastructure projects in Lisbon and other parts of Portugal. His works include the Basilica da Estrela and the Aqueduct of Águas Livres, both iconic landmarks in Lisbon.

In the 19th century, the BAGA surname gained prominence in the literary world with the poet and writer João Baga de Quadros (1815-1877). He was a prominent figure in the Romantic movement in Portuguese literature and is remembered for his poems and novels that celebrated the beauty of his native region in northern Portugal.

Throughout its history, the BAGA surname has been associated with various occupations, from agriculture and navigation to architecture and literature, reflecting the diverse contributions of individuals who have borne this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baga

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

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

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

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