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

Porras, 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 Porras surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Porras in America

Porras is the 2962nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Porras surname appeared 12,106 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Porras.

We can also compare 2010 data for Porras 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 Porras

The surname Porras is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. The name is derived from the Spanish word "porra," which translates to "club" or "mace," suggesting a possible connection to an ancestor's occupation or skill with such weapons.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Porras surname can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Libro de la Montería" by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which mentions a person named Porras in the context of hunting expeditions. This suggests that the name was already in use during that period.

The Porras name is also linked to various place names in Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile and Andalusia. For example, the municipality of Porras in the province of Burgos likely contributed to the spread of the surname in that area.

In the 15th century, the Porras family gained prominence in Seville, with notable figures such as Juan de Porras, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived from 1425 to 1498. Another prominent member of the family was Rodrigo de Porras, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Porras surname spread across the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in regions like Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. One notable bearer of the name was Gaspar de Porras, a Spanish explorer and soldier who participated in the conquest of Chile in the late 16th century.

In the realm of literature, the Spanish author Diego Porras Huarte (1570-1631) gained recognition for his work "Libro de la Verdad," a philosophical treatise published in 1598.

Other notable individuals with the Porras surname include Melchor Porras Castellanos (1693-1768), a Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works, and José María Porras y Porras (1859-1925), a Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Peru from 1915 to 1917.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Porras

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

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

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

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