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

La, 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 La surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of La in America

La is the 5242nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The La surname appeared 6,655 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname La.

We can also compare 2010 data for La 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 La

The surname "La" originates from Spain and is thought to have first emerged in the 8th century during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "al", which means "the" and was often used as a prefix for place names or surnames.

In the early days of its usage, "La" was commonly found in regions like Andalusia, where the Moorish influence was particularly strong. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to medieval Spanish documents and manuscripts from the 10th and 11th centuries.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname "La" was Diego de la Cueva, a 15th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who served under King Juan II of Castile. He played a significant role in the conflicts between Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon during the 1440s and 1450s.

Another prominent individual with the surname "La" was Juan de la Cosa, a Spanish navigator and cartographer from the late 15th century. He is best known for creating one of the earliest surviving maps of the New World, known as the "Carta Universal" or the "World Map of Juan de la Cosa," which dates back to around 1500.

In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the celebrated Spanish poet and playwright Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (1562-1635), who is often referred to as Lope de Vega. He is considered one of the most prolific and influential writers of the Spanish Golden Age and is renowned for his numerous plays, poems, and novels.

Moving into the 19th century, José María de la Cruz Bermúdez Acosta (1788-1849), better known as José de la Cruz Bermúdez, was a prominent Cuban poet and journalist. He is regarded as one of the founders of Cuban romantic poetry and played a significant role in the literary and cultural life of his time.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Ignacio María González del Campillo (1836-1901), a Mexican engineer and politician who served as the Minister of Development under President Porfirio Díaz. He was instrumental in the construction of several important infrastructure projects, including the Mexico City drainage system and the Veracruz-Mexico City railway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name La

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

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

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

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