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

Esguerra, 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 Esguerra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Esguerra in America

Esguerra is the 14349th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Esguerra surname appeared 2,085 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 Esguerra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Esguerra 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 Esguerra

The surname Esguerra has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "ezker," meaning "left-handed" or "left," suggesting that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who was left-handed.

Over time, the name spread to various regions of Spain, particularly in areas with a strong Basque influence, such as the Basque Country and parts of Navarre. Historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries show variations in spelling, including Ezquerra, Ezquerro, and Izquierdo, all of which are closely related to the modern form of Esguerra.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías," a medieval census document from the 14th century, which mentions individuals with the surname Ezquerra residing in the regions of Álava and Vizcaya.

In the 16th century, the name Esguerra began to appear more frequently in Spanish historical documents, particularly in relation to individuals from the Basque region who migrated to other parts of Spain or to the Americas during the Spanish colonization era.

Notable individuals with the surname Esguerra throughout history include:

1. Juan de Esguerra (c. 1520-1590), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru and was appointed as the first governor of the city of Arequipa.

2. Ignacio Esguerra (1745-1819), a Colombian politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the initial stages of the independence movement in present-day Colombia.

3. María Esguerra (1780-1856), a Spanish-born writer and educator who established one of the first schools for girls in Bogotá, Colombia, during the early 19th century.

4. Tomás Esguerra y Santander (1788-1852), a Colombian military officer and politician who served as the President of Colombia (then known as the Republic of New Granada) from 1849 to 1853.

5. Joaquín Esguerra y Acosta (1858-1924), a Colombian lawyer and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and represented Colombia in various international conferences and negotiations.

While the name Esguerra is most prevalent in Spain and Latin American countries with strong Spanish cultural influences, it has also been documented in other parts of the world due to migration patterns throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Esguerra

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

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

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

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