Pelagio last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Pelagio

A surname derived from the Latin word "pelagus," meaning "sea" or "ocean."

Pelagio, 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 Pelagio surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pelagio in America

Pelagio is the 41579th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pelagio surname appeared 523 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 Pelagio.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pelagio 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 41579 62961 -40.91%
Count 523 297 55.12%
Proportion per 100k 0.18 0.11 48.28%

The history of the last name Pelagio

The surname Pelagio has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 8th to 12th centuries.

Pelagio is derived from the Latin name Pelagius, which means "born of the sea" or "sailor." This name was relatively common among early Christian communities in the region, likely due to the strong maritime traditions along the Mediterranean coast.

One of the earliest documented references to the name Pelagio can be found in the "Chronica Regum Castellae," a medieval chronicle written in the 13th century. It mentions a nobleman named Pelagio de Guzmán, who played a role in the conquest of Seville during the Reconquista period.

During the 14th century, the name Pelagio appeared in various records and manuscripts from the Kingdom of Aragon, such as the "Libre de Memories" of the city of Barcelona. This suggests that the name had spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula by that time.

Notable individuals with the surname Pelagio include:

  1. Pelayo (c. 690 - 737), a Visigothic nobleman who initiated the Reconquista and became the first King of Asturias after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

  2. Pelagio Álvarez de Armiño (c. 1450 - 1520), a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Avila and played a significant role in the religious affairs of the region.

  3. Pelagio Palagi (1775 - 1860), an Italian neoclassical painter and architect known for his works in Bologna and other Italian cities.

  4. Pelagio Casanova y Casanova (1838 - 1918), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of War during the reign of Alfonso XIII.

  5. Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos (1719 - 1800), a Mexican Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Mexico City and was a prominent figure in the colonial era.

While the name Pelagio has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to other regions, particularly Latin America, due to Spanish colonization and migration. The name continues to be used today, although its popularity has diminished over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pelagio

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

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 Pelagio was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 13.00% 68
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 10.90% 57
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.10% 11
Hispanic Origin 73.61% 385

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 13.00% 15.49% -17.48%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 10.90% 12.79% -15.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 1.68% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.10% 2.36% -11.66%
Hispanic 73.61% 67.68% 8.39%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pelagio, 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!

"Pelagio last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/pelagio-surname-popularity/.

"Pelagio last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/pelagio-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

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

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.