Nogales last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Nogales

A Spanish surname derived from the word "nogal" meaning walnut tree or grove.

Nogales, 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 Nogales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nogales in America

Nogales is the 25935th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nogales surname appeared 947 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 Nogales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nogales 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 25935 31464 -19.27%
Count 947 696 30.55%
Proportion per 100k 0.32 0.26 20.69%

The history of the last name Nogales

The surname "NOGALES" is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "nogal," which means "walnut tree." The name likely originated in areas of Spain where walnut trees were prevalent, such as the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "NOGALES" appears in the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like record of Spanish families and their properties, compiled between 1749 and 1756. This record mentions several individuals with the surname "NOGALES" residing in various parts of Spain.

In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Juan Nogales (1733-1805) was a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was involved in the Siege of Pensacola in 1781 and played a role in the Spanish capture of British West Florida.

Another historical figure with the surname "NOGALES" was Rafael Nogales (1879-1949), a Mexican writer and diplomat. He served as a Mexican consul in various locations, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and wrote several books about his experiences and observations.

In the 20th century, Patricio Nogales (1906-1981) was a prominent Mexican painter known for his murals and works depicting scenes of everyday life in Mexico. He studied under Diego Rivera and was part of the Mexican muralist movement.

Additionally, the name "NOGALES" is associated with the city of Nogales, which straddles the border between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. The city's name is derived from the Spanish word "nogal," referring to the walnut trees that once grew abundantly in the area.

Throughout history, the surname "NOGALES" has also appeared in various forms and spellings, such as "Nogal," "Nogales y Mendoza," and "Nogales de la Vega," reflecting regional variations and compound surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nogales

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

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 Nogales was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.97% 66
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.37% 13
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.74% 7
Hispanic Origin 90.50% 857

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 Nogales has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.97% 9.77% -33.45%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.37% 1.15% 17.46%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 1.15% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.74% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 90.50% 87.64% 3.21%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Nogales last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/nogales-surname-popularity/.

"Nogales last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/nogales-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Nogales last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/nogales-surname-popularity/.

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