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

Braganza, 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 Braganza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Braganza in America

Braganza is the 45569th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Braganza surname appeared 469 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 Braganza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Braganza 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 Braganza

The surname "Braganza" originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the town of Bragança, located in the northeastern region of the country, near the border with Spain. The name itself is thought to have its roots in the ancient Roman name "Brigantia," which referred to a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Braganza name can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions several members of the Braganza family, who were prominent noblemen and landowners in the region.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Braganza family gained significant power and influence in Portugal. The most notable figure from this period was João I, Duke of Braganza (1451-1486), who played a crucial role in the consolidation of the Portuguese monarchy under King João II.

In the 17th century, the Braganza dynasty ascended to the Portuguese throne with the rise of João IV (1604-1656), who became the first king of the House of Braganza in 1640. João IV led the Portuguese Restoration War, which ended the Iberian Union with Spain and established Portugal as an independent kingdom once again.

Another prominent member of the Braganza family was Pedro II (1648-1706), who reigned as King of Portugal from 1683 to 1706. He is remembered for his efforts to modernize and strengthen the Portuguese economy and military, as well as for his patronage of the arts and sciences.

The Braganza name also found its way to other parts of the world, particularly Brazil, where members of the Portuguese royal family established the Empire of Brazil in the early 19th century. One notable figure from this period was Pedro I (1798-1834), who became the first Emperor of Brazil in 1822 after leading the country's independence movement from Portugal.

Other notable individuals bearing the Braganza surname include the Portuguese poet and playwright António Ferreira (1528-1569), who is considered one of the most important figures of the Portuguese Renaissance, and the Brazilian historian and diplomat João Pandiá Calógeras (1870-1934), who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Brazil from 1913 to 1914.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Braganza

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

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

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

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