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

Lecea, 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 Lecea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lecea in America

Lecea is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lecea surname appeared 232 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 Lecea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lecea 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 Lecea

The surname Lecea originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France during the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Basque word "leze," meaning "cave" or "grotto," suggesting that the ancestors of those bearing this name may have lived in or near a notable cave formation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lecea surname can be found in a 13th-century cartulary from the village of Isaba in Navarre, Spain, which mentions a certain Pedro de Lecea. This indicates that the name was already established in the area by that time.

Another early reference comes from the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that records the names of pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James). Among the list of names, a certain Sancho Lecea is mentioned, suggesting that individuals with this surname were participating in the famous pilgrimage as early as the 12th century.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan de Lecea served as a royal secretary to King Juan II of Aragon. His position of prominence at the Aragonese court speaks to the standing and reputation of the Lecea family during that era.

A branch of the Lecea family also established themselves in the Basque region of France, where they were known as the Lécéa or Lecéa families. One notable member of this line was Jean-Baptiste Lécéa, a 19th-century architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Bayonne.

Throughout history, the surname has also been spelled in various ways, such as Leceia, Lezea, and Leycea, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic shifts over time. Additionally, some Lecea families may have adopted the surname from the place name Lécera, a town in the Spanish province of Zaragoza.

While the Lecea surname is not among the most common in Spain or France, it has a long and distinguished history rooted in the Basque culture and traditions of northern Spain and southwestern France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lecea

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

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

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

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