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

Nuñoz, 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 Nuñoz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nuñoz in America

Nuñoz is the 59017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nuñoz surname appeared 343 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 Nuñoz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nuñoz 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 Nuñoz

The surname NUNOZ has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 8th century during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Nūn" meaning "fish," and the Spanish suffix "-ez," which denotes lineage or ancestry. It is believed to have been initially adopted by individuals who lived near or had a connection to fishing communities along the Mediterranean coast.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the NUNOZ surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Nuño Fernández, who was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso III of León.

During the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, the NUNOZ surname gained prominence. In the 11th century, Nuño Álvarez de Lara, a Castilian nobleman, played a crucial role in the military campaigns against the Moors and was granted various lands and titles for his service.

The surname is also associated with the town of Núñez, located in the province of Asturias, Spain. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the influence and presence of the NUNOZ family in the region.

Notable historical figures bearing the NUNOZ surname include:

1. Pedro Núñez de Guzmán (c. 1490 - 1559), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico.
2. Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490 - c. 1559), a Spanish explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the interior of the present-day United States.
3. Lope de Núñez (c. 1505 - 1587), a Spanish playwright and poet from the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
4. Pedro Núñez Navarrete (c. 1555 - 1628), a Spanish mathematician and cosmographer who contributed significantly to the advancement of navigation techniques.
5. Alonso Núñez de Haro y Peralta (1554 - 1625), a Spanish nobleman, military officer, and viceroy of New Spain (modern-day Mexico) from 1602 to 1607.

The NUNOZ surname has endured through the centuries, spanning various regions of Spain and the Americas, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and historical significance of its bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nuñoz

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

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

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

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