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

Lara, 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 Lara surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lara in America

Lara is the 381st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lara surname appeared 83,067 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Lara.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lara 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 Lara

The surname Lara is of Spanish origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "larus," which means "seagull." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near the sea or worked as a fisherman.

In the 13th century, the name Lara appeared in the chronicles of the Kingdom of Castile, where it was associated with the noble family of the House of Lara. This family played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the region, and their name became closely linked with the town of Lara de los Infantes, located in the province of Burgos.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Lara can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners in Castile, compiled in the 14th century. This document lists several individuals bearing the name Lara, indicating its widespread use during that period.

In the 16th century, the name Lara gained further prominence with the birth of Garcilaso de la Vega (1501-1536), a renowned Spanish poet and soldier who served in the court of Charles V. His works significantly influenced the development of Spanish Renaissance literature.

Another notable figure was Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (1490-1544), a Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Kingdom of Nueva Galicia in present-day Mexico. He was also known as Nuño de Guzmán or Nuño Beltrán de Lara, highlighting the connection between the Lara and Guzmán families.

During the 17th century, the name Lara appeared in various literary works, including the play "Fuenteovejuna" by Lope de Vega (1562-1635), which features a character named Frondoso de Lara.

In the 19th century, José María Heredia y Heredia (1803-1839), a Cuban poet and writer, is considered one of the most prominent figures with the surname Lara. He was a key figure in the Romantic literary movement in Spanish America.

Another notable individual was Juan Rafael Mora Porras (1814-1860), a Costa Rican politician and military leader who served as the President of Costa Rica from 1849 to 1859. He played a crucial role in defending Costa Rica's sovereignty during the Campaña Nacional against the filibuster William Walker.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lara

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

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

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

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