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

Refuerzo, 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 Refuerzo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Refuerzo in America

Refuerzo is the 56836th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Refuerzo surname appeared 359 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 Refuerzo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Refuerzo 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 Refuerzo

The surname REFUERZO has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the late 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "refuerzo," which means "reinforcement" or "strengthening." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who provided support or reinforcement, possibly in a military or defensive context.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the REFUERZO surname can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a man named Juan de Refuerzo was mentioned in a document dated 1487. This document detailed the distribution of land grants to soldiers who had participated in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.

Another notable mention of the REFUERZO name can be found in the chronicles of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In 1519, a soldier named Pedro de Refuerzo accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in modern-day Mexico. Refuerzo is recorded as having participated in several key battles, including the siege of Tenochtitlan.

In the 17th century, the REFUERZO surname spread to other parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Philippines. One prominent individual bearing this name was Captain Juan Refuerzo, who served as a military commander in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. He is credited with leading successful campaigns against indigenous revolts and pirate raids in the 1650s.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the REFUERZO name also found its way to the Americas. In the early 18th century, a landowner named Diego Refuerzo established a hacienda in the region of Nueva España, which is now part of Mexico. His descendants continued to own and operate the hacienda for several generations.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the REFUERZO surname was Doña Isabel Refuerzo, a wealthy philanthropist and patron of the arts in Madrid, Spain. She was renowned for her support of local artists and musicians, and her contributions helped establish several cultural institutions in the city.

These are just a few examples of the historical prominence of the REFUERZO surname, which has its roots in the military and defensive traditions of medieval Spain but ultimately spread across the globe as a result of Spanish exploration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Refuerzo

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

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

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

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