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

Elguera, 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 Elguera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elguera in America

Elguera is the 79598th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elguera surname appeared 239 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 Elguera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elguera 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 Elguera

The surname ELGUERA is of Spanish origin, originating in the regions of Basque Country and Navarre in northern Spain. This surname likely emerged during the late Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries.

ELGUERA is believed to be derived from the Basque word "elguera," meaning "fern." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with ferns, perhaps in a forested or rural area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ELGUERA surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This collection, dated to the 12th century, includes references to individuals with the surname ELGUERA or similar spellings.

In the 16th century, records show an individual named Juan de Elguera, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque province of Álava. This suggests that the ELGUERA family had already established themselves as a notable presence in the region by that time.

Another notable individual bearing the ELGUERA surname was Pedro de Elguera, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Philippine Islands in the late 16th century. He was born in Navarre around 1550 and played a significant role in the colonization efforts of the Spanish Empire in the Pacific region.

In the 18th century, a man named Ignacio de Elguera served as the Bishop of León, Spain, from 1727 to 1742. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and played an important role in the religious and cultural life of the region during his tenure.

During the 19th century, the ELGUERA surname continued to spread across Spain and its territories. One notable figure was José María Elguera, a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1854 to 1857.

Throughout its history, the ELGUERA surname has also been associated with various place names in northern Spain, such as the town of Elgueras in the province of Álava, and the municipality of Elguera in the province of Vizcaya. These place names likely derived from the same Basque root as the surname, further reinforcing its connection to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elguera

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

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

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

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