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

Calleja, 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 Calleja surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Calleja in America

Calleja is the 15639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Calleja surname appeared 1,868 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Calleja.

We can also compare 2010 data for Calleja 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 Calleja

The surname Calleja originated in Spain during medieval times. It is derived from the Catalan and Spanish word "calleja," meaning a narrow street or alley. This name likely originated as a descriptive identifier for someone who lived on a small street or alley.

The earliest known record of the Calleja surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Catalonia, Spain. Records show the name appearing in various documents and manuscripts from that time period, often spelled as "Calleia" or "Calleya."

One notable early mention of the Calleja name is found in the "Llibre de Privilegis de la Ciutat de València" (Book of Privileges of the City of Valencia), a medieval manuscript from the 14th century. This document records a certain Bernat Calleja, a citizen of Valencia, who was granted land privileges in 1327.

In the 15th century, the Calleja surname began to spread beyond Catalonia and appeared in other regions of Spain, such as Aragon and Castile. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, including "Callexa" and "Calleha."

One of the earliest known individuals with the Calleja surname was Juan Calleja, a 16th-century Spanish nobleman and landowner from Seville. He was born in 1512 and played a significant role in the colonization efforts of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.

Another notable figure was Diego Calleja y Sanz (1788-1866), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the 49th Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1813 to 1816.

In the 19th century, the Calleja surname gained prominence with the birth of Rafael Calleja (1833-1901), a Spanish painter and illustrator known for his works depicting scenes from daily life in Madrid.

The name Calleja also has historical ties to the Canary Islands, where a prominent family with this surname resided. One member, José Calleja Isasi (1897-1976), was a renowned lawyer and politician who served as the president of the Cabildo Insular (Island Council) of Tenerife from 1936 to 1946.

Another notable individual with the Calleja surname was Enrique Calleja Isasi (1928-2022), a Spanish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Calleja Group, a major conglomerate in the Canary Islands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Calleja

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

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

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

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