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

Espinola, 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 Espinola surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Espinola in America

Espinola is the 18622nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Espinola surname appeared 1,478 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 Espinola.

We can also compare 2010 data for Espinola 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 Espinola

The surname Espinola is of Spanish origin, originating in the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "espina," meaning thorn or bramble, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a thorny area or worked with thorny plants.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Espinola can be traced back to the 13th century in Catalonia. One of the earliest known references is found in the "Libro de la Cadena" (Book of the Chain), a historical document from the city of Barcelona, which mentions an individual named Berenguer Espinola in the year 1279.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the Kingdom of Aragon, which included parts of modern-day Spain, France, and Italy. For instance, a certain Joan Espinola is listed as a citizen of Valencia in a census from 1369.

The name Espinola has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent was Ambrogio Spinola (1569-1630), an Italian-Spanish military commander who played a significant role in the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands. He was born in Genoa, Italy, but his family originated from Spain.

Another notable figure was Fabio Espinola (1572-1648), an Italian painter and architect of Spanish descent, known for his work in the Baroque style. He was born in Genoa and worked extensively in Italy and Spain.

In the 16th century, the name Espinola can be found in records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, a Juan de Espinola is mentioned as a conquistador and settler in Havana, Cuba, in the 1550s.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Espinola name appears in various historical documents from Spain and its territories, including records from the Spanish Inquisition and military rolls.

One fascinating historical reference is the mention of a Diego de Espinola in the "Codice Mendoza," an Aztec codex from the 16th century that details the history and customs of the Aztec people. Diego de Espinola was a Spanish interpreter who played a crucial role in the early interactions between the Spanish and the Aztecs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Espinola

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

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

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

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