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

Careaga, 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 Careaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Careaga in America

Careaga is the 34314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Careaga surname appeared 661 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 Careaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Careaga 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 Careaga

The surname Careaga originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, with its roots dating back to the 11th century. The name is derived from the Basque words "kare," meaning stone or rock, and "aga," meaning mouth or entrance, suggesting a connection to a geographic location near a rocky outcropping or cave entrance.

Careaga is believed to have first appeared in written records during the medieval period, although the earliest known mention of the name can be traced back to a land grant document from 1095 in the archives of the Monastery of Leyre in Navarre, Spain. This document references a landowner named Sancho Careaga, who was granted a parcel of land near the town of Roncesvalles.

In the 13th century, the name Careaga was recorded in the Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript that served as a guidebook for pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James. This suggests that the Careaga family may have been involved in providing lodging or assistance to pilgrims along this important religious route.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Careaga surname was Juan Careaga, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Bilbao, Spain, in the late 15th century. He was instrumental in the development of the city's maritime trade and is mentioned in several historical documents from that era.

Another notable figure was Martín Careaga, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish Conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. He served under Hernán Cortés and was one of the few survivors of the infamous Noche Triste (Night of Sorrows) during the siege of Tenochtitlán in 1520.

In the 18th century, Francisco Javier Careaga y Zúñiga was a Spanish naval officer and explorer who conducted extensive surveys and mapping expeditions along the Pacific coast of North America, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the coast of present-day British Columbia.

The surname Careaga can also be found in various place names throughout the Basque region, such as the village of Careaga in Biscay, Spain, and the Careaga Valley in the French Basque Country, further highlighting the name's deep historical roots in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Careaga

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

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

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

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