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

Najera, 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 Najera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Najera in America

Najera is the 1971st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Najera surname appeared 18,340 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Najera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Najera 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 Najera

The surname Najera originates from Spain, specifically the city of Nájera in the La Rioja region. The name is derived from the Latin word "Naiera," which means "wetland" or "marshy area," likely referring to the geographic location of the city near the Najerilla River.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Najera surname can be traced back to the 11th century. In 1076, a document from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla mentions a nobleman named Rodrigo Muñoz de Najera, who was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Navarre during that time.

During the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, several individuals with the Najera surname played significant roles. One notable figure was Diego de Najera, a military commander who fought alongside King Ferdinand III of Castile in the 13th century.

The Najera surname also has connections to the Spanish nobility. In the 15th century, Juan de Najera y Mendoza (1418-1480) was a celebrated poet and courtier in the court of King Juan II of Castile. His works, including the "Defunsión de Don Enrique de Villena," are considered important contributions to Spanish literature.

Another prominent figure with the Najera surname was Antonio de Najera (1505-1580), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro. He later served as the governor of Popayán, a territory in present-day Colombia.

In the realm of religion, Fray Alonso de Najera (1555-1617) was a Spanish Dominican friar and missionary who traveled to the Philippines in the late 16th century. He is credited with establishing several churches and missions in the archipelago, including the Convent of Santo Domingo in Manila.

While the Najera surname is primarily associated with Spain, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin America, through Spanish colonization and migration. Notable individuals with this surname include the Mexican writer and politician José María Najera (1809-1856) and the Peruvian composer and musician Lucho Najera (1905-1974).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Najera

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

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

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

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