Obra last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Obra

A surname derived from the Spanish word for "work" or "labor".

Obra, 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 Obra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Obra in America

Obra is the 91981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Obra surname appeared 200 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 Obra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Obra 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 91981 97384 -5.71%
Count 200 173 14.48%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.06 15.38%

The history of the last name Obra

The surname OBRA has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "obra," which translates to "work" or "labor." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone involved in construction or manual labor.

The earliest known record of the surname OBRA appears in a medieval Spanish document from the year 1187, where it is mentioned in reference to a landowner named Pedro de la Obra. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence by that time.

In the 13th century, the name OBRA can be found in several historical records from the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. It is possible that the name may have been associated with the construction of notable structures or public works projects in that area during that period.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname OBRA was Juan de la Obra, a stonemason who lived in the city of Toledo in the late 14th century. His name appears in local records related to the construction of several churches and buildings in the city.

Another notable figure with the surname OBRA was Catalina de la Obra, a wealthy landowner from the town of Córdoba in the 16th century. Historical records indicate that she was involved in several legal disputes over property rights and land ownership.

In the 17th century, the surname OBRA can be found in various regions of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia. One prominent individual was Francisco de la Obra, a military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).

During the 18th century, the surname OBRA gained some recognition in the field of arts and literature. One notable example is Miguel de la Obra, a playwright and poet from Madrid who lived between 1720 and 1798.

Another significant figure with the surname OBRA was Josefa de la Obra, a renowned painter from Seville who was active in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Her works can be found in several museums and art galleries in Spain.

While the surname OBRA has its roots in Spain, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Over time, the name has evolved, with various spellings and variations emerging in different regions and languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Obra

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

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 Obra was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 16.50% 33
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 65.00% 130
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 12.00% 24
Hispanic Origin 5.50% 11

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 Obra has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 16.50% 23.12% -33.42%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 65.00% 56.07% 14.75%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 12.00% 10.98% 8.88%
Hispanic 5.50% 8.67% -44.74%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Obra last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 25, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/obra-surname-popularity/.

"Obra last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/obra-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 November, 2024

Obra last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/obra-surname-popularity/.

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