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

Noriega, 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 Noriega surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Noriega in America

Noriega is the 2477th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Noriega surname appeared 14,559 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Noriega.

We can also compare 2010 data for Noriega 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 Noriega

The surname Noriega originates from Spain, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "noria," which refers to a water wheel used for irrigation purposes. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been associated with agricultural activities or resided near areas with water wheels or irrigation systems.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Noriega surname can be found in the Cartularios de Valpuesta, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the region of Burgos, Spain, dating back to the 10th century. These documents mention individuals with the surname Noriega, indicating that the name was already in use during that era.

In the 13th century, the Noriega surname appears in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census document that recorded names and places in the region of Castile. This suggests that the Noriega family had established a presence in various parts of Castile by that time.

Notable individuals with the Noriega surname include Pedro de Noriega (1470-1524), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Another prominent figure was Juan Fernández de Noriega (1537-1594), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of Florida.

In the 16th century, the Noriega surname was also found in the region of Vizcaya (modern-day Biscay), as evidenced by the birth of Juan de Noriega in 1576 in the town of Bilbao. This suggests that the Noriega family had spread across different regions of Spain over the centuries.

Other notable individuals with the Noriega surname include Manuel Noriega (1934-2017), a Panamanian military officer and former de facto ruler of Panama, and Gerardo Noriega (born 1966), a Mexican actor and film producer.

While the Noriega surname has Spanish origins, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, with early references found in historical documents and records from regions like Burgos, Castile, and Vizcaya.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Noriega

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

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

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

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