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

Porreca, 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 Porreca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Porreca in America

Porreca is the 23485th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Porreca surname appeared 1,082 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 Porreca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Porreca 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 Porreca

The surname Porreca is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "porro," which means "leek" or "green onion." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who cultivated or sold leeks, or perhaps had a physical resemblance to the vegetable.

The earliest recorded instances of the Porreca surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giacomo Porreca, a merchant from Florence who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in historical records related to trade transactions.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Antonio Porreca was a renowned scholar and philosopher who taught at the University of Bologna. He is credited with contributing to the development of early Renaissance humanism and wrote several influential works on philosophy and ethics.

During the 15th century, the Porreca surname appeared in various documents and manuscripts in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. One such record mentions a wealthy landowner named Pietro Porreca, who owned vineyards and olive groves near the town of Pescara.

In the 16th century, a famous painter named Giovanni Battista Porreca, born in Siena in 1520, gained recognition for his religious artwork and frescoes adorning churches throughout Tuscany. His paintings can still be admired in various churches and museums in Italy today.

Another noteworthy individual with the Porreca surname was Girolamo Porreca, a 17th-century architect and engineer from Rome. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and structures in the city, including the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona, which was completed in 1651.

While the Porreca surname is not among the most common in Italy, it has maintained a presence throughout the country's history, particularly in central and southern regions. The name's origins can be traced back to the medieval period, reflecting its connection to agricultural traditions and the symbolic significance of the leek in Italian culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Porreca

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

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

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

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