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

Encina, 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 Encina surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Encina in America

Encina is the 47614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Encina surname appeared 445 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 Encina.

We can also compare 2010 data for Encina 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 Encina

The surname ENCINA originates from Spain, traced back to the medieval period of the 11th century. It derives from the Spanish word "encina," meaning "evergreen oak" or "holm oak." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an oak forest or had some association with oak trees.

The earliest recorded instances of the ENCINA surname appear in ancient municipal records from various regions across Spain, including Castile, Andalusia, and Aragon. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that catalogued landholdings and taxation records.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the ENCINA surname was Juan de la Encina (1468-1529), a Spanish composer, poet, and playwright. He is considered one of the earliest known playwrights of the Spanish Renaissance and is credited with introducing the dramatic form known as the "églogas" to Spanish literature.

Another notable individual with the ENCINA surname was Diego de la Encina (c. 1520-1582), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He is known for his role in founding the city of Trujillo in northern Peru in 1535.

The ENCINA surname has also been associated with various place names across Spain, such as Encinas de Abajo and Encinas de Arriba, both located in the province of Salamanca. These place names likely derived from the presence of oak trees in the area, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the oak tree.

In the 16th century, the ENCINA surname can be found in records related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. For instance, Pedro de la Encina (c. 1540-1610) was a Spanish soldier and settler who participated in the conquest of Chile and later served as the mayor of Santiago de Chile.

Another notable figure was Francisco de la Encina (1572-1624), a Spanish Franciscan friar who traveled to New Spain (present-day Mexico) and served as a missionary among indigenous communities. He is renowned for his efforts in promoting education and literacy among the native populations he encountered.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Encina

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

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

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