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

Guerra, 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 Guerra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guerra in America

Guerra is the 473rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guerra surname appeared 70,071 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 24 people would have the surname Guerra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guerra 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 Guerra

The surname Guerra is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "guerra" meaning "war." It is believed to have originated as a surname in the late 12th century during the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

The name was likely first adopted by individuals who participated in military campaigns or battles during this period, possibly as a descriptive surname reflecting their occupation or participation in wars. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century in regions of Spain such as Castile and Aragon.

Historical records from the Middle Ages, including tax rolls and municipal records, mention individuals with the surname Guerra, indicating its widespread use in various parts of Spain. For example, the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century detailing the distribution of lands after the Reconquest of Seville, lists several individuals with the surname Guerra.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Guerra was Rodrigo Guerra, a 13th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns under King Alfonso X of Castile. Another notable individual was Juan Guerra, a 14th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.

In the 16th century, the surname Guerra was brought to the Americas by Spanish settlers and conquistadors, with many individuals bearing the name settling in areas such as Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. One notable figure from this period was Pedro de Guerra, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Guerra continued to be prominent in Spain and its colonies, with individuals bearing the name making significant contributions in various fields. For instance, Juan José de Guerra was a Spanish naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Cuba in the late 18th century.

Throughout history, the surname Guerra has been associated with military prowess, bravery, and a warrior spirit, reflecting its origins during the Reconquista era. While the name is primarily found in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guerra

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!