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

Carela, 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 Carela surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carela in America

Carela is the 49546th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carela surname appeared 424 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 Carela.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carela 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 Carela

The surname Carela has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Portugal and Spain. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest known references to the name Carela can be found in a Portuguese manuscript dating back to the late 13th century, where it is mentioned as a family name in the town of Coimbra. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or geographic location within the region.

In Spain, the name Carela is thought to be derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "carela," which means "small path" or "narrow road." This could indicate that the surname initially referred to families residing near or along a particular path or road.

During the 15th century, historical records show several individuals bearing the surname Carela in various parts of Portugal and Spain. One notable figure was João Carela, a Portuguese merchant born in 1437 who established trade routes between Lisbon and the Mediterranean regions.

In the 16th century, the name Carela appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with a certain Alonso Carela being mentioned as a resident of Seville in 1562. This suggests that the name had spread across the Iberian Peninsula by that time.

The 17th century saw the emergence of a prominent Carela family in the Portuguese city of Porto. One member, Pedro Carela (1621-1698), was a renowned scholar and writer who published works on philosophy and theology.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Carela was Juan Carela (1732-1801), a Spanish military commander who participated in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Cross of Saint Ferdinand for his bravery.

Another individual of note was Mariana Carela (1789-1865), a Portuguese poet and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Carela continued to be present in various parts of Portugal and Spain, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in fields such as literature, art, and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carela

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!