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

Goenaga, 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 Goenaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goenaga in America

Goenaga is the 81181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goenaga surname appeared 233 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 Goenaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goenaga 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 Goenaga

The surname Goenaga originates from the Basque Country, a region straddling the border between Spain and France. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, likely between the 13th and 15th centuries.

Goenaga is a compound Basque word, derived from the elements "goi" meaning "high" or "upper," and "enaga" which may refer to a place or location. This suggests the name initially referred to someone residing in an elevated or higher area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Goenaga surname can be found in the archives of the town of Hernani, situated in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. A document from 1487 mentions a certain Juan Goenaga, a landowner in the area.

The name Goenaga has also been linked to the small village of Goienetxe, located in the municipality of Antzuola, Gipuzkoa province. This place name, which translates to "high house" or "upper house," bears a striking resemblance to the surname's root elements.

Notable individuals bearing the Goenaga surname include:

1. Joaquín Goenaga (1851-1916), a Spanish Basque politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Spanish Congress.

2. José Goenaga (1865-1937), a Basque writer and journalist who founded the newspaper "La Unión Vascongada" in Bilbao.

3. Xabier Goenaga (1932-2022), a Basque linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study and promotion of the Basque language.

4. Arantxa Goenaga (born 1977), a Spanish actress and model who has appeared in numerous films and television series.

5. Andoni Goenaga (born 1977), a Spanish professional basketball player who competed in the Spanish ACB league for several seasons.

Throughout its history, the surname Goenaga has maintained its strong ties to the Basque region, with various spellings and variants emerging over time, such as Goienaga, Goieneche, and Goyeneche.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goenaga

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

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

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

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