2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Longueira
A Spanish surname originating from a place name and likely referring to someone from a long meadow or field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Longueira. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Longueira surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Longueira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Longueira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Longueira
The surname Longueira originated in the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula, which encompasses parts of modern-day Spain and Portugal. It dates back to the medieval era, when the Reconquista was underway to reclaim the peninsula from Moorish rule. The name is derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "longueira," meaning a long, narrow strip of land or a long, winding road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Longueira surname can be found in the Tombo de Celanova, a medieval cartulary from the 10th century that documented transactions and possessions of the Monastery of Celanova in present-day Galicia, Spain. The name appeared in reference to landholdings and toponyms, indicating its origins as a locative surname.
In the 13th century, the Longueira surname was mentioned in the Libro de las Behetrías, a medieval census documenting the landowners and vassals of the Kingdom of Castile. This record suggests that families bearing this surname held significant landholdings and wielded influence in the region.
Notable individuals with the Longueira surname throughout history include:
1. João Longueira (c. 1460-1522), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
2. Álvaro Longueira (c. 1510-1585), a Spanish architect and stonemason who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in Galicia, including the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
3. Beatriz Longueira (c. 1580-1650), a Galician nun and mystic who founded the Convent of Santa Clara in Pontevedra, Spain.
4. José Longueira (1756-1832), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of General in the Spanish Army.
5. Manuel Longueira (1820-1895), a Galician writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Rexurdimento, the cultural and literary renaissance of Galician language and culture in the 19th century.
The Longueira surname has also been associated with various place names throughout the Iberian Peninsula, reflecting its locative origins. Examples include the Longueira Parish in the municipality of Coles, Portugal, and the Longueira Village in the municipality of Ourense, Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Longueira
Among Census respondents with the surname Longueira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Longueira bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Longueira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino64.3% · 72
- White33.9% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Longueira
Longueira appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+32 bearers (+29.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 18,724 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-28 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | +32 bearers (+29.6%) | Up 18,724 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 24,890 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Longueira surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #123,064 | #147,954 | -20.2% |
| Count | 140 | 112 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Longueira bearers went from 140 to 112 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 24,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #147,954.
FAQ
Longueira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Longueira?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Longueira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Longueira?
Longueira ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Longueira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Longueira.
Has Longueira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Longueira went from 140 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 28 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Longueira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Longueira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Longueira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Longueira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (64.3%), White (33.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Longueira (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Longueira mean?
A Spanish surname originating from a place name and likely referring to someone from a long meadow or field. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Longueira (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Longueira?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.