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

Meira, 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 Meira surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meira in America

Meira is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meira surname appeared 154 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 Meira.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meira 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 Meira

The surname Meira is of Portuguese origin, with its roots traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral.

The name Meira is thought to be derived from the Latin word "merus," meaning pure or unmixed. It is possible that the name was initially used to distinguish someone who lived near a pure water source or a place with pristine natural surroundings.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Meira can be found in the "Livro do Almoxarifado de Penafiel," a medieval Portuguese manuscript dating back to 1444, which mentions a certain João Meira as a landowner in the region.

In the 16th century, the name Meira appeared in several historical documents, including the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a genealogical record of Portuguese noble families compiled in the early 1500s. This suggests that the name was already well-established among the Portuguese nobility during that time.

Notably, Pedro Afonso Meira (1480-1555) was a prominent Portuguese mathematician and cosmographer who served as a professor at the University of Coimbra and contributed significantly to the development of navigation techniques during the Age of Exploration.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Meira was João de Meira (1550-1620), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to Brazil and worked extensively with indigenous communities, contributing to the preservation of their languages and cultures.

In the 18th century, Manuel Meira (1720-1795) was a respected Portuguese architect and engineer known for his work on various ecclesiastical and civil buildings, including the Church of Nossa Senhora da Penha in Porto.

During the 19th century, José Joaquim Meira (1820-1891) was a renowned Portuguese lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Portuguese Parliament and played a crucial role in the drafting of the Civil Code of 1867.

The surname Meira has also been associated with several place names in Portugal, such as Meira de Cima and Meira de Baixo, which are villages located in the municipality of Penafiel, further solidifying its connection to the northern regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meira

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

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

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

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