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

Legaspi, 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 Legaspi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Legaspi in America

Legaspi is the 9251st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Legaspi surname appeared 3,520 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Legaspi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Legaspi 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 Legaspi

The surname LEGASPI originated in the Philippines during the 16th century Spanish colonial era. It is derived from the name of the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi, the first governor-general of the Spanish East Indies who led the expedition that established the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Philippines in 1565.

The name LEGASPI was likely adopted by indigenous Filipinos who converted to Christianity and took on Spanish surnames as part of the process of hispanization during the Spanish colonial period. The name may have also been given to children born to Spanish settlers and their Philippine partners or descendants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LEGASPI surname can be found in the 1591 census of the Philippines, which listed several individuals with the name residing in the areas around Manila and other Spanish settlements. The name also appears in various historical documents and records from the Spanish colonial era, including church records, land grants, and official correspondence.

Notable individuals throughout history with the surname LEGASPI include:

1. Felipe Legaspi (1734-1798), a Spanish-Filipino military officer and governor of the Mariana Islands from 1786 to 1794.

2. Pedro Legaspi y Salcedo (1763-1826), a Spanish-Filipino naval officer and explorer who led expeditions to the Pacific Northwest and California in the late 18th century.

3. Josefa Legaspi (1766-1842), a prominent member of the upper class in Manila during the Spanish colonial period and a benefactor of the Beaterio de Santa Rosa, a convent and school for indigenous women.

4. Miguel Legaspi y Legazpi (1847-1916), a Filipino lawyer, journalist, and politician who served as a member of the Malolos Congress during the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

5. Tomás Legaspi (1880-1962), a Filipino artist and painter known for his portraiture and religious works, including murals in various churches in Manila.

The LEGASPI surname has been associated with several place names in the Philippines, reflecting the influence and legacy of the Spanish colonial era. For example, the city of Legazpi in the province of Albay is named after Miguel López de Legazpi, and the nearby Legaspi Airport bears the family name as well.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Legaspi

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

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

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

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