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

Inez, 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 Inez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Inez in America

Inez is the 75317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Inez surname appeared 256 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 Inez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Inez 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 Inez

The surname Inez originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish name "Inés," which itself is a variant of the Latin name "Agnes," meaning "chaste" or "pure." The name was particularly popular in the regions of Galicia and Asturias in northern Spain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Inez can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Castile, where a nobleman named Juan Inez de Oviedo was mentioned in a royal decree issued by King Juan II in 1420. This suggests that the surname was already established among the Spanish gentry during that time period.

In the 16th century, the Inez name gained prominence in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in Portugal, where a notable figure named Inês de Castro (c. 1325-1355) became a tragic heroine in Portuguese history. She was the lover of Prince Pedro, who later became King Pedro I of Portugal, and their ill-fated romance became a legendary story of forbidden love.

As Spanish and Portuguese explorers ventured across the Atlantic Ocean, the surname Inez was carried to the Americas. In the late 16th century, a Spanish conquistador named Juan Inez de Hinojosa was among the first Europeans to establish settlements in what is now New Mexico, USA.

Another noteworthy figure with the Inez surname was Juana Inez de la Cruz (1651-1695), a renowned Mexican poet, philosopher, and scholar who is considered one of the most influential writers of the Spanish Golden Age. Her literary works and intellectual pursuits challenged gender norms of her time.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure named José Inez García (1808-1875) was a Mexican military leader and politician who served as the Governor of Nuevo León, Mexico, from 1849 to 1853. He played a significant role in the Reform War, a civil war that aimed to curtail the power of the Catholic Church and the military in Mexico.

While the surname Inez has its roots in Spain and Portugal, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by migration and cultural exchange. Today, people bearing the surname Inez can be found in countries such as Mexico, the United States, and even as far as the Philippines, reflecting the global reach of Spanish and Portuguese influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Inez

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

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

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

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