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

Neagu, 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 Neagu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neagu in America

Neagu is the 73215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neagu surname appeared 265 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 Neagu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neagu 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 Neagu

The surname Neagu originates from Romania and dates back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Romanian word "neag," which means "black" or "dark-haired." The name was likely given to individuals with dark hair or complexions, a common practice in medieval times.

Neagu is considered a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially formed by adding a possessive suffix to a given name, such as "Neag" or "Neagu." This naming convention was widespread in Eastern Europe, particularly in Romania, where many surnames have similar origins.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neagu can be found in the "Codex Sturdzanus," a collection of Romanian legal documents from the late 15th century. The codex mentions a landowner named Neagu Basarab, who lived in the region of Wallachia (now part of modern-day Romania) during the reign of Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler.

In the 16th century, the name Neagu appeared in various historical records, including the "Descriptio Moldaviae," a detailed account of the Principality of Moldavia written by the Italian humanist Emanuele Crisolora in 1532. The document mentions a nobleman named Neagu Basarab, who was a prominent figure in the court of Prince Petru Rares.

One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the surname Neagu was Neagu Bașotă (c. 1567 - c. 1637), a Romanian prince and ruler of Wallachia from 1632 to 1633. He was known for his efforts to maintain the autonomy of Wallachia against Ottoman rule.

Another historical figure with the surname Neagu was Neagu Carabă (c. 1585 - c. 1660), a Romanian painter and icon-maker who worked in the Brâncoveanu style, a distinctive artistic movement that flourished in Wallachia during the 17th century.

In the 19th century, the name Neagu gained more prominence with individuals such as Gheorghe Neagu (1832 - 1919), a Romanian politician and member of the National Liberal Party, who served as the Mayor of Bucharest from 1888 to 1889.

Another notable figure was Ion Neagu (1886 - 1964), a Romanian writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories depicting the rural life and struggles of peasants in his native region of Oltenia.

The name Neagu has also been associated with various place names in Romania, such as the village of Neagu in the county of Călărași, as well as the Neagu River, a tributary of the Prut River in northeastern Romania.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neagu

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

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

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

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