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

Mapa, 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 Mapa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mapa in America

Mapa is the 56444th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mapa surname appeared 362 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 Mapa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mapa 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 Mapa

The surname Mapa has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Catalonia. It dates back to the 13th century and is believed to be derived from the Old Catalan word "mapa," meaning "map." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have been cartographers or mapmakers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a document from the 13th century that documented the distribution of land and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Christian conquest of the region. The name appears several times in this record, indicating its presence in the area during that time.

In the 15th century, there are records of a prominent individual named Jaume Mapa, who was a merchant and landowner in the town of Valls, near Tarragona. He is mentioned in various documents related to property transactions and business dealings, suggesting that the Mapa family had achieved a certain level of status and wealth by that period.

The name can also be found in the archives of the Monastery of Poblet, a renowned Cistercian abbey in Catalonia. In the 16th century, a monk named Pere Mapa is recorded as having taken his vows at the monastery, indicating the spread of the name across different social strata.

Over the centuries, the surname Mapa has been associated with several notable individuals, including:

1. Joan Mapa (c. 1500-1560), a Catalan sculptor known for his work on the cathedral of Lleida and the Church of Santa Maria del Pi in Barcelona.
2. Miquel Mapa (1628-1701), a Catalan painter and engraver who lived and worked in Valencia.
3. Antoni Mapa (1754-1820), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Order of San Fernando for his bravery.
4. Jaume Mapa i Pla (1860-1935), a Catalan architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Barcelona, including the Casa Calvet.
5. Dolors Mapa (1920-2003), a Spanish writer and novelist from Catalonia, known for her works exploring the experiences of women in rural areas.

While the surname Mapa is primarily associated with Catalonia and Spain, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in the Catalan region, where it emerged as a distinctive name with possible connections to the art of mapmaking.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mapa

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

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

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

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