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

Contrera, 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 Contrera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Contrera in America

Contrera is the 26654th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Contrera surname appeared 914 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 Contrera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Contrera 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 Contrera

The surname Contrera has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "contra," meaning "against" or "opposite," and likely referred to someone who lived near or opposite a particular landmark or location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Contrera surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the Kingdom of Navarre, which mentions a person named Domingo Contrera in the year 1189.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various regions of Spain, including Castile, León, and Aragón. It is possible that the name was initially associated with place names such as Contreras or Contreras de Alpuente, although the precise connection is unclear.

During the 15th century, notable individuals with the Contrera surname emerged, including Juan Contrera, a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 1400s.

In the 16th century, Pedro Contrera (1518-1594) was a prominent Spanish architect and engineer who worked on several notable projects, including the construction of the Escorial Monastery in Madrid.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Contrera surname spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico and the Caribbean. One notable figure was Jerónimo de Contrera (1590-1662), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1641 to 1643.

Another prominent individual was José Contrera y Muñoz (1732-1815), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Louisiana during the Spanish rule of the territory from 1804 to 1809.

Over time, the Contrera surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Contreras, Contreras de Alpuente, and Contrera y Muñoz, reflecting regional and cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Contrera

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

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

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

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