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

Buhagiar, 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 Buhagiar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buhagiar in America

Buhagiar is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buhagiar surname appeared 194 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 Buhagiar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buhagiar 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 Buhagiar

The surname Buhagiar originates from the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. Its roots can be traced back to the early 16th century during the period of the Knights Hospitaller's rule over the Maltese islands. The name is believed to have derived from the Maltese word "buhagar," which means "farmer" or "cultivator of the land."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Buhagiar surname can be found in the Cittadella Cathedral archives on the island of Gozo, where a certain Marinu Buhagiar is mentioned in a baptismal record dated 1567. This suggests that the name was already established in the Maltese islands by the mid-16th century.

In the 17th century, the Buhagiar surname appears in various parish records across Malta, particularly in the villages of Qormi and Siggiewi. It is possible that the name originated from these areas, where the ancestors of the Buhagiar family may have been farmers or landowners.

Historically, the Buhagiar surname has been associated with several notable figures in Maltese society. One such figure was Dun Guzepp Buhagiar, a prominent clergyman who served as the Archpriest of the Collegiate Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta in the late 18th century.

Another notable bearer of the Buhagiar name was Antonio Buhagiar, a Maltese merchant and ship owner who lived in the early 19th century. Records indicate that he owned several trading vessels that sailed across the Mediterranean Sea.

In the 20th century, Dr. Joseph Buhagiar (1909-1999) was a respected Maltese physician and academic. He served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Malta and played a significant role in the development of medical education on the island.

The Buhagiar surname has also been carried by several artists and writers, such as the painter Victor Buhagiar (1924-2018) and the poet and novelist Trevor Buhagiar (born 1948).

While the name Buhagiar is predominantly found in Malta, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Maltese migration. However, its roots remain firmly planted in the rich agricultural heritage of the Maltese islands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buhagiar

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

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

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

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