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

Nueva, 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 Nueva surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nueva in America

Nueva is the 109758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nueva surname appeared 161 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 Nueva.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nueva 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 Nueva

The surname Nueva originates from Spain, deriving from the Spanish word "nueva," meaning "new." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th to 13th centuries, when surnames began to be adopted in Iberian regions.

Nueva was likely a descriptive surname, initially applied to individuals who had recently settled in a particular area or established a new homestead. It may have also been used to distinguish a person from others with the same given name, referring to their status as a newcomer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nueva can be found in the medieval Spanish manuscript "Liber Feudorum Maior," a compilation of feudal records from the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Petrus de Nueva" as a landowner in the region of Aragon.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in the archives of the Kingdom of Castile, with a reference to a nobleman named "Juan de Nueva" who served as a courtier under King Juan II (1405-1454).

Notable individuals with the surname Nueva throughout history include:

1. Fernán Nueva (c. 1480-1550), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe.

2. Beatriz de Nueva (c. 1520-1585), a renowned poet and writer from Seville, whose works were influential in the development of Spanish Renaissance literature.

3. Pedro Nueva (1590-1664), a Spanish architect and engineer who designed several prominent buildings in Madrid, including the Church of San José.

4. Miguel de Nueva (1630-1702), a Jesuit priest and theologian from Cordoba, recognized for his influential treatises on moral philosophy and ethics.

5. Juana Nueva (1725-1795), a Spanish painter and portraitist who achieved notable success during the Enlightenment period, with her works displayed in royal collections.

Over time, the surname Nueva has also been associated with various place names and locations across Spain, such as Nueva Andalucía, a municipality in the province of Málaga, and Nueva Carteya, a town in the province of Córdoba.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nueva

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!