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

Iglesias, 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 Iglesias surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iglesias in America

Iglesias is the 3387th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iglesias surname appeared 10,546 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Iglesias.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iglesias 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 Iglesias

The surname Iglesias is of Spanish origin and derives from the word "iglesia," which means "church" in Spanish. This surname likely originated during the medieval period in Spain, and it was initially used to identify individuals who lived near a church or were associated with a particular church or religious institution.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Iglesias can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia. Some of the earliest known bearers of this surname were individuals who held positions within the church, such as priests or clergymen.

One notable early bearer of the surname Iglesias was Juan de Iglesias, a Spanish theologian and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 16th century, the surname Iglesias was also found in various historical records and documents, such as land registries and census records. For instance, in the town of Aldea del Obispo, located in the province of Salamanca, there are records of families with the surname Iglesias dating back to the mid-16th century.

During the colonial era, many Spaniards with the surname Iglesias migrated to the Americas, particularly to regions that were under Spanish rule. This led to the spread and establishment of the surname in countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.

One notable individual with the surname Iglesias was José María Iglesias, a Mexican politician and writer who lived in the 19th century (1823-1891). He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Justice during the presidency of Benito Juárez.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Enrique Iglesias, a Spanish-born Uruguayan writer and political figure who lived from 1886 to 1968. He was a prominent figure in the Uruguayan literary scene and served as the President of Uruguay from 1959 to 1963.

In more recent history, the surname Iglesias has been associated with several notable individuals, including the Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias (born in 1975), who is the son of the famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias (born in 1943).

Additionally, Pablo Iglesias Posse (1850-1925) was a Spanish politician and lawyer who founded the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and played a significant role in the development of the socialist movement in Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iglesias

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

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

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

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