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

Escalera, 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 Escalera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Escalera in America

Escalera is the 5271st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Escalera surname appeared 6,616 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Escalera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Escalera 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 Escalera

The surname "ESCALERA" originated in Spain during the late medieval period, derived from the Spanish word "escalera" which means "staircase" or "ladder." It is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to an individual who lived near or worked with staircases or ladders.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "ESCALERA" can be traced back to the late 15th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Valencia. Several historical documents from that era, such as tax records and property deeds, mention individuals bearing this surname.

One notable early reference to the name "ESCALERA" is found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a certain Juan de Escalera was mentioned as a witness in a trial held in Seville in the year 1552.

In the 17th century, the surname gained prominence when Pedro de Escalera (1592-1672), a Spanish military officer and conquistador, participated in the conquest of Chile and served as the governor of the province of Cuyo (now part of Argentina) from 1632 to 1635.

Another notable figure bearing the "ESCALERA" surname was Fray Alonso de Escalera (1575-1637), a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who traveled to the Philippines and authored several works on the native languages and customs of the region.

During the 18th century, the surname "ESCALERA" appeared in various records related to the Spanish colonial administration in the Americas. For instance, José de Escalera y Guevara (1715-1782) served as the governor of the Venezuelan province of Cumaná from 1768 to 1773.

In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the "ESCALERA" surname was José María Escalera (1799-1868), a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence and later served as the governor of the state of Jalisco.

It is worth noting that while the surname "ESCALERA" has its roots in Spain, it has also been adopted and used in various Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America, due to the influence of Spanish colonization and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Escalera

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

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

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

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