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

Delapena, 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 Delapena surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Delapena in America

Delapena is the 8189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Delapena surname appeared 4,051 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 Delapena.

We can also compare 2010 data for Delapena 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 Delapena

The surname DELAPENA has its origins in Spain, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a compound name, formed from the Spanish words "de la" meaning "of the" and "pena" meaning "rock" or "cliff." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or in a mountainous area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century document detailing the distribution of land and properties in Seville following its reconquest from the Moors in 1248. The name appears as "De la Penna," a variant spelling that further reinforces the connection to the word "pena."

During the 15th century, the DELAPENA name gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the cities of Seville and Cordoba. Records from this time indicate that members of the DELAPENA family held positions of influence, including landowners and municipal officials.

In the 16th century, Juan DELAPENA (1505-1567), a notable Spanish explorer and navigator, played a significant role in the colonization of the Americas. He was part of the expedition led by Hernán Cortés that conquered Mexico, and later served as a governor in various regions of present-day Mexico and Guatemala.

Another historical figure bearing the DELAPENA surname was María DELAPENA (1630-1702), a renowned poet and writer from Seville. Her works, which often explored themes of love and spirituality, were widely celebrated during the Spanish Golden Age.

In the 18th century, the DELAPENA name appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with several individuals being tried and persecuted for their religious beliefs or practices. One such case involved Diego DELAPENA (1712-1785), a merchant from Cadiz who was accused of harboring Protestant sympathies.

During the 19th century, the DELAPENA family continued to maintain a presence in Spain, with several members achieving notable positions in academia, politics, and the military. One such figure was General Francisco DELAPENA (1825-1892), a decorated soldier who played a prominent role in the Carlist Wars, a series of civil conflicts in Spain during the 19th century.

As the DELAPENA name spread throughout Spain and beyond, it also underwent various spelling variations, including DELAPENNA, DELAPEÑA, and DELAPENHA, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the influence of other languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Delapena

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Delapena, 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!