Find out how popular the last name DeNobrega is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeNobrega.
A surname of Portuguese origin meaning "from Brega".
DeNobrega, 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 DeNobrega surname is from the 2010 census data.
DeNobrega is the 113155th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The DeNobrega surname appeared 155 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 DeNobrega.
The surname DeNobrega has its origins in Portugal, emerging sometime in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese words "de" meaning "from" and "Nobrega" referring to a specific location or place name. Some historians suggest the name may be linked to the village of Nobreguinha in the northern region of Portugal.
Early records indicate variants of the spelling such as "de Nobrega," "de Nobreda," and "de Nobreza." These spelling variations were common in historical documents before standardized spellings became more widespread. The name's association with a particular place or region points to its likely origins among the landed gentry or minor nobility of Portugal.
One of the earliest known bearers of the DeNobrega surname was João de Nobrega, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who sailed with Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in the late 15th century. Records indicate João de Nobrega was born around 1460 and played a key role in charting the sea route from Europe to India.
In the 16th century, another noteworthy bearer of the name was Manuel de Nobrega, a Jesuit priest and missionary who helped establish the first Jesuit missions in colonial Brazil. Born in 1517 in Sanfins, Portugal, Manuel de Nobrega is often referred to as the "Patriarch of Brazilian Education" for his efforts in founding schools and promoting literacy in the colony.
During the 17th century, the DeNobrega name appeared in various Portuguese colonial records from Brazil, Africa, and Asia. One figure of note was António de Nobrega, a wealthy Portuguese landowner and entrepreneur who operated a successful sugar plantation in the Brazilian captaincy of Pernambuco in the mid-1600s.
Moving into the 18th century, the name can be found in records from the Portuguese empire, including references to José de Nobrega, a military officer who served in the Portuguese garrison in Goa, India, and later became a colonial administrator in Mozambique in the 1760s.
In more recent times, the DeNobrega surname has been associated with notable individuals such as João de Nobrega Soares, a prominent Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as a federal deputy in the early 20th century, and Manuel de Nobrega, a celebrated Portuguese author and poet known for his works exploring the country's cultural heritage and traditions in the latter half of the 20th century.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeNobrega.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeNobrega was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 54.19% | 84 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 3.87% | 6 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 9.68% | 15 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 5.81% | 9 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 8.39% | 13 |
Hispanic Origin | 18.06% | 28 |
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.
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 DeNobrega was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/denobrega-surname-popularity/">DeNobrega last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"DeNobrega last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 6, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/denobrega-surname-popularity/.
"DeNobrega last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/denobrega-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 July, 2025
DeNobrega last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/denobrega-surname-popularity/.
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