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

Rego, 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 Rego surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rego in America

Rego is the 6375th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rego surname appeared 5,342 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rego.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rego 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 Rego

The surname Rego originates from Portugal and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "rego," which means a stream or a ditch. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a stream or a ditch.

The earliest known record of the name Rego can be found in the 13th-century Portuguese manuscript, "Livro das Linhagens," which chronicles the genealogies of noble families. The name appears in reference to a family from the region of Beira Alta, in central Portugal.

In the 14th century, the name Rego was associated with the town of Rego, located in the municipality of Celorico da Beira, in the district of Guarda. This town's name is believed to have originated from the same root word as the surname, indicating its connection to a stream or a ditch.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rego was João Rego, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1497-1499. Another notable figure was Pedro Rego, a 16th-century Portuguese soldier and administrator who served in Portuguese India.

In the 17th century, the name Rego gained prominence with the birth of Manuel Teixeira de Rego (1623-1697), a Portuguese lawyer and judge who served as the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Portugal. His son, António Teixeira de Rego (1661-1731), was a prominent jurist and legal scholar.

Another notable figure was José da Silva Rego (1870-1931), a Portuguese historian and archivist who made significant contributions to the study of Portuguese colonial history, particularly in Brazil and India.

Throughout its history, the surname Rego has been associated with various noble and influential families in Portugal, reflecting its long-standing presence in the country's cultural and political landscape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rego

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

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

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

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