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

Mera, 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 Mera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mera in America

Mera is the 13721st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mera surname appeared 2,206 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mera 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 Mera

The surname MERA is believed to have originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "mera," meaning pure or unmixed. The name may have been used to describe someone who lived in a remote or isolated area, or someone who was considered to be of pure Spanish descent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MERA surname can be found in the Catalan region of Spain in the 13th century. In a document from the year 1265, a man named Pere de Mera is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Girona.

As the surname spread throughout Spain, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Meraz, Mieras, and Merás. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local record keepers.

In the 14th century, the MERA surname appears in several historical documents related to the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. One notable figure from this time is Juan de Mera, a soldier who fought alongside King Alfonso XI of Castile in the Battle of Río Salado in 1340.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MERA surname became more widely dispersed as Spanish explorers and colonists ventured to the Americas. One famous bearer of the name was Juan de Mera y Arroyo, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 1500s.

Another notable individual with the MERA surname was Gaspar de Mera, a Spanish military officer and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1627 to 1633.

In the realm of literature, the MERA surname is associated with Juan León Mera, a renowned Ecuadorian writer and poet born in 1832. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Ecuadorian literature and is best known for his epic poem "La Virgen del Sol."

The MERA surname can also be found in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico and Argentina, likely due to the migration of Spanish settlers and their descendants over the centuries.

Throughout history, the MERA surname has been a significant part of Spanish and Latin American culture, reflecting the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mera

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

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

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

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