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

Legarda, 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 Legarda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Legarda in America

Legarda is the 33280th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Legarda surname appeared 687 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 Legarda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Legarda 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 Legarda

The surname Legarda has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain. Dating back to the medieval era, the name is believed to have derived from the Basque words "legar" meaning "valley" and "ardi" meaning "sheep." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the Legarda name were likely shepherds residing in the valleys of the Basque Country.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Legarda surname can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript containing the accounts of the pilgrims who traveled the Camino de Santiago. This suggests that the Legarda name was well-established in the region during this period.

In the 14th century, a nobleman named Juan de Legarda was mentioned in the records of the Kingdom of Navarre. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Charles II of Navarre and served as a trusted advisor to the monarch.

During the 16th century, the Legarda family gained prominence in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque province of Álava. Miguel de Legarda (1510-1586) was a notable clergyman who served as the Bishop of Calahorra and La Calzada.

In the 17th century, Andrés de Legarda (1620-1692) was a renowned Basque military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War. He rose through the ranks to become a general in the Spanish army and was recognized for his bravery and strategic skills.

Another notable bearer of the Legarda name was José María Legarda (1790-1865), a Spanish politician who served as the Minister of Finance under the reign of Queen Isabel II. He played a pivotal role in reforming the country's financial system during a period of political turmoil.

Over the centuries, the Legarda surname has spread beyond the Basque Country, with families bearing this name found in various regions of Spain, as well as in parts of Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Argentina, where Basque immigrants settled during the colonial era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Legarda

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

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

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

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