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

Fraga, 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 Fraga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fraga in America

Fraga is the 6746th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fraga surname appeared 4,998 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 Fraga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fraga 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 Fraga

The surname Fraga is believed to have originated in Portugal, where it can be traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Portuguese word "fraga," which means "rocky outcrop" or "crag." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a person who lived near or owned land featuring such geological formations.

In the 13th century, the name appears in several records from the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga. Some of the earliest documented references include a Pero Fraga, who was mentioned in a land grant from 1247, and a Joao Fraga, who served as a witness in a legal document from 1289.

The name Fraga is also associated with several place names in Portugal, such as Fraga da Ermida and Fraga da Pena, which further reinforces its connection to rocky landscapes. Additionally, variations of the spelling, such as Fraguinha and Fragoso, can be found in historical records.

One notable figure bearing this surname was Pedro Fraga Leitão (1516-1584), a Portuguese jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Court of Appeal in Lisbon. His influential work, "Tratado de Direito Hipotecário" (Treatise on Mortgage Law), was widely respected in his time.

Another prominent individual with the Fraga surname was António da Fraga (1621-1692), a Jesuit priest and historian from Porto. He authored several works on the history of Portugal, including "História da Cidade do Porto" (History of the City of Porto), which is considered a valuable source for understanding the city's past.

In the 18th century, Domingos Fraga (1720-1796) was a renowned architect and engineer from Braga. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in northern Portugal, including the Igreja da Misericórdia in Braga and the Palácio dos Duques de Bragança in Guimarães.

Moving into the 19th century, José Fraga Pery Linde (1846-1923) was a Portuguese politician and journalist who served as a member of parliament and played an active role in the country's political discourse during the constitutional monarchy period.

Lastly, Manuel Fraga Iribarne (1922-2012), a Spanish politician and diplomat, was born into a family with Portuguese roots. He served as the Minister of Information and Tourism during the Franco regime and later became the first President of the Xunta de Galicia (Galician regional government) after Spain's transition to democracy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fraga

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

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

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

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