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

Fragosa, 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 Fragosa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fragosa in America

Fragosa is the 74826th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fragosa surname appeared 258 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 Fragosa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fragosa 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 Fragosa

The surname Fragosa is of Portuguese origin, originating in the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "fragoso," which means "rough" or "rugged," likely referring to someone who lived in a rugged or mountainous area.

The earliest known record of the name Fragosa dates back to a land registry in the village of Fragoso, located in the northern Portuguese region of Minho, in the late 15th century. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone from the village of Fragoso before becoming a more widely adopted surname.

In the 16th century, the name Fragosa appeared in several historical records, including the baptismal records of the city of Braga, a major religious center in northern Portugal. Some notable individuals with the surname Fragosa from this time period include Pedro Fragoso, a prominent merchant and landowner born in 1532, and Maria Fragosa, a nun who founded a convent in Porto in 1567.

As Portuguese explorers and colonists spread throughout the world, the surname Fragosa began to appear in various locations, particularly in Portuguese colonies and settlements. For example, in the late 16th century, a man named João Fragosa was recorded as one of the earliest settlers in the Portuguese colony of Brazil.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Fragosa surname continued to be found in various parts of the Portuguese empire, including Brazil, Mozambique, and Goa, India. Some notable individuals from this period include Luís Fragoso, a Portuguese soldier and explorer who served in Brazil in the early 17th century, and António Fragoso, a Jesuit priest who worked as a missionary in Goa in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, the Fragosa surname gained prominence in several artistic and literary circles. One notable figure was José Fragoso, a Portuguese painter and sculptor born in 1825, known for his works depicting historical and religious scenes. Another was Maria Fragoso, a Brazilian novelist and poet born in 1845, whose works explored themes of love and social commentary.

As the 20th century progressed, the Fragosa surname continued to be found in various parts of the world with Portuguese cultural influences, including Portugal, Brazil, and parts of Africa and Asia. Some notable individuals from this period include João Fragoso, a Brazilian football player who represented Brazil in the 1950 World Cup, and Mariana Fragoso, a contemporary Portuguese singer and songwriter born in 1985.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fragosa

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

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

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

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