2000
#16,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Noguera
A Catalan and Spanish surname derived from the word "noguera," meaning a walnut tree or a place with walnut trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,784 Americans carry the last name Noguera. That puts it at #12,232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noguera surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,116
Census rank
#12,232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,428 bearers of the surname Noguera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noguera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noguera
The surname Noguera has its origins in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "nogal," which means walnut tree. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to a person who lived near or owned land with walnut trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the Noguera surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Catalonia, Spain. In ancient records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Nogera, Nogueira, and Nogueiras, reflecting the regional variations in language and pronunciation.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Noguera name was Ramón Noguera, a nobleman from Barcelona who lived in the late 13th century. His name is mentioned in several historical documents related to land disputes and property transactions.
In the 15th century, the Noguera family gained prominence in the city of Valencia, where they were involved in the silk trade and held influential positions in local government. Pedro Noguera, a merchant and diplomat, represented Valencia in negotiations with the Crown of Aragon during the reign of Alfonso V.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Noguera surname spread to various regions of Latin America, particularly Mexico and Argentina. One notable figure was Fray José de Noguera, a Franciscan friar who traveled to New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the early 17th century and established several missions among the indigenous populations.
In the 18th century, Juan Noguera y Daza was a renowned Spanish naval officer and cartographer. He played a crucial role in mapping the coasts of South America and conducted extensive surveys of the Strait of Magellan, contributing significantly to the advancement of navigation and cartography.
Another prominent individual with the Noguera surname was José Noguera y Bahamonde, a Chilean politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the late 19th century. He was instrumental in negotiating territorial disputes with neighboring countries and played a significant role in shaping Chile's foreign policy during that era.
Throughout history, the Noguera surname has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, commerce, military service, and politics, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of its bearers across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noguera
Among Census respondents with the surname Noguera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Noguera bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Noguera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.0% · 2,065
- White7.1% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.6% · 135
- Black or African American1.5% · 37
- Two or more races0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noguera
Noguera appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,237
+613 bearers (+37.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 2,782 places
2020
#12,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
+191 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 1,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,333 | 1,624 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,551 | 2,237 | 0.76 | +613 bearers (+37.7%) | Up 2,782 places |
| 2020 | #12,232 | 2,428 | 0.81 | +191 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 1,319 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Noguera surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,551 | #12,232 | 9.7% |
| Count | 2,237 | 2,428 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.81 | 6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noguera bearers went from 2,237 to 2,428 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 1,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,551 to #12,232.
FAQ
Noguera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noguera?
Name Census estimates that about 2,784 living Americans carry the surname Noguera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,116 residents.
How common is Noguera?
Noguera ranks #12,232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,428 people with the surname Noguera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Noguera.
Has Noguera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noguera went from 2,237 recorded bearers to 2,428. That is an increase of 191 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,551 to #12,232.
What does the Census say about the background of Noguera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noguera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Noguera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (2,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noguera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.0%), White (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Noguera (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Noguera mean?
A Catalan and Spanish surname derived from the word "noguera," meaning a walnut tree or a place with walnut trees. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Noguera (0.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Noguera?
Want to know how many people have the last name Noguera? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.