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

Maqueira, 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 Maqueira surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maqueira in America

Maqueira is the 91625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maqueira surname appeared 201 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 Maqueira.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maqueira 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 Maqueira

The surname MAQUEIRA is of Portuguese origin, and it can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the northern region of Portugal, specifically in the area around the city of Braga. The name MAQUEIRA is derived from the Portuguese word "maqueira," which means "blackberry bush" or "bramble." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked with blackberry bushes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MAQUEIRA surname can be found in the "Livro das Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical work compiled in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. However, the specific reference to the MAQUEIRA name dates back to the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, there are records of a nobleman named João MAQUEIRA, who was born in Braga around 1520 and served as a magistrate in the city's court. Another notable figure from this period was Fernão MAQUEIRA (1535-1612), a Catholic priest who authored several religious texts.

During the 17th century, the MAQUEIRA surname began to spread beyond the northern regions of Portugal. In 1648, a man named António MAQUEIRA was recorded as a merchant in Lisbon, the capital city. This suggests that the name had gained some prominence and was no longer confined to a specific region.

One of the most famous individuals with the MAQUEIRA surname was Diogo MAQUEIRA (1671-1733), a renowned Portuguese architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Lisbon and other parts of the country. His most notable work is the Igreja de São Roque, a magnificent Baroque-style church in Lisbon.

Another notable figure was Mariana MAQUEIRA (1785-1864), a prominent writer and poet who was part of the Romantic movement in Portugal. Her work helped to popularize the use of the Portuguese language in literature and challenged the dominance of French and other foreign influences.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the MAQUEIRA surname continued to be found in various parts of Portugal, with families bearing this name residing in cities such as Porto, Coimbra, and Évora. However, the origins of the name can be traced back to the northern region around Braga, where it is believed to have emerged from a reference to blackberry bushes or brambles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maqueira

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

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

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

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