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

Contreras, 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 Contreras surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Contreras in America

Contreras is the 68345th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Contreras surname appeared 288 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 Contreras.

We can also compare 2010 data for Contreras 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 Contreras

The surname Contreraz has its origins in Spain, and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish term "contra el raz," which translates to "against the root" or "against the origins." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who opposed or defied authority or tradition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Contreraz can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias, a census-like document from the 14th century that recorded the names of landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of Castile. The name appeared in this document with various spellings, such as "Contreras" and "Contreraz."

During the 15th century, the Contreraz surname was associated with a noble family from the region of Extremadura in western Spain. This family played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

In the 16th century, a Spanish explorer named Hernando de Contreras (c. 1500-1560) accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru and is credited with being one of the first Europeans to discover the Pacific Ocean from the western coast of South America.

Another notable individual with the Contreraz surname was Miguel Contreras (1566-1638), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of the Philippines and served as the governor of the Mariana Islands from 1634 to 1638.

In the 17th century, the name Contreraz appeared in several documents related to the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have been persecuted or investigated by the religious authorities of the time.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Contreraz surname spread to various regions of the Americas, including Mexico, where it became particularly prevalent. One prominent figure with this name was José Contreras (1795-1864), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the governor of Guanajuato and participated in the Mexican-American War.

Throughout its history, the Contreraz surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from noblemen and explorers to soldiers and politicians. While its precise origins may be shrouded in the mists of time, the name continues to carry a sense of defiance and opposition to established norms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Contreras

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

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

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

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