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

Lessa, 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 Lessa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lessa in America

Lessa is the 48060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lessa surname appeared 440 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 Lessa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lessa 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 Lessa

The surname LESSA is believed to have originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "lessa," which means "smooth" or "polished." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a stone polisher or mason.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LESSA surname can be found in a 13th-century Portuguese manuscript, where a certain "João LESSA" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Minho. This region, located in northwestern Portugal, was known for its quarries and stone-working traditions, further supporting the potential occupational origin of the name.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, as Portugal expanded its maritime empire, several individuals bearing the LESSA surname were involved in exploration and colonization efforts. For instance, Pedro LESSA (c. 1460-1520) was a navigator and cartographer who accompanied Vasco da Gama's expedition to India in 1498.

Another notable LESSA was João LESSA de Andrade (1580-1655), a Portuguese soldier and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Angola between 1629 and 1633. He played a significant role in consolidating Portuguese control over the region and establishing trade relations with the local kingdoms.

In the 18th century, the LESSA surname gained prominence in Brazil, where many Portuguese settlers had established themselves. One prominent figure was Manuel LESSA (1725-1799), a wealthy landowner and politician from the state of Minas Gerais. He was influential in the region's economic and political affairs during the colonial period.

Moving into the 19th century, Francisco LESSA (1810-1886) was a celebrated Brazilian jurist and legal scholar. He served as a judge and professor of law, contributing significantly to the development of Brazilian jurisprudence and legal education.

While the LESSA surname originated in Portugal, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to former Portuguese colonies and territories with historical ties to Portugal. Over time, variations in spelling, such as LESA and LEÇA, have also emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lessa

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!