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

Novas, 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 Novas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Novas in America

Novas is the 52482nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Novas surname appeared 395 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 Novas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Novas 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 Novas

The surname NOVAS originated in Portugal during the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "nova," meaning "new," and was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or was a newcomer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the NOVAS surname can be found in the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record compiled in the 15th century. This manuscript mentions a family with the surname NOVAS from the region of Minho in northern Portugal.

During the Age of Discovery, the NOVAS surname spread to various parts of the Portuguese Empire. In the 16th century, Pedro Novas (c. 1480-1540) was a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world.

The NOVAS surname can also be traced back to the Canary Islands, where it is thought to have been introduced by Portuguese settlers in the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable figure from this region was José Novas (1725-1808), a Canarian clergyman and historian who wrote about the history of the Canary Islands.

In Brazil, where many Portuguese settlers immigrated, the NOVAS surname can be found in historical records from the colonial period. One example is Francisco Novas (1770-1842), a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the General Constituent and Legislative Assembly of the Empire of Brazil.

Another prominent individual with the NOVAS surname was Antonio Novas (1805-1868), a Portuguese military officer and politician who served as the Governor-General of Mozambique from 1855 to 1856. He played a significant role in the colonization and administration of Portuguese territories in East Africa.

The NOVAS surname has also been present in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For instance, in the United States, there is record of a Joseph Novas (1849-1929), a Portuguese immigrant who settled in California and worked as a farmer and landowner.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Novas

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

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

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

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