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

Negro, 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 Negro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Negro in America

Negro is the 33695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Negro surname appeared 676 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 Negro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Negro 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 Negro

The surname Negro originates from Spain and Portugal, derived from the Latin word "niger," meaning black or dark. It first emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 14th centuries, and was likely used to describe someone with dark hair, complexion, or clothing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Navarre Comptos, a collection of financial records from the Kingdom of Navarre, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval manuscripts and documents from the Iberian Peninsula.

In the 15th century, a notable individual bearing the surname was Juan Negro, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He was among the first Europeans to set foot in the Caribbean islands.

During the 16th century, the name gained prominence with Juan Negro Velázquez, a Spanish painter and sculptor active in Seville. His works can be found in churches and museums across Andalusia.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with María Negro being accused of practicing witchcraft in Valencia in 1619.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname in the New World was Domingo Negro, a free black man who lived in colonial Mexico City in the late 16th century. He was a successful entrepreneur and landowner.

In the 18th century, Manuel Negro was a prominent Spanish military officer who fought in the War of the Quadruple Alliance against France and Britain. He later became the governor of Puerto Rico in the 1760s.

The surname Negro can also be found in various place names across Spain and Portugal, such as Villanueva del Negro in Seville and Río Negro in the Canary Islands, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this name in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Negro

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

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

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

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