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

Terras, 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 Terras surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Terras in America

Terras is the 124548th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Terras surname appeared 138 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 Terras.

We can also compare 2010 data for Terras 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 Terras

The surname Terras is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia, Spain, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Catalan word "terra," meaning "land" or "earth," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who owned or worked on a particular piece of land or territory.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 14th-century Catalan manuscript "Llibre de Repartiment de València," which documents the distribution of lands among the Aragonese nobility after the conquest of Valencia in 1238. This manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Terras, indicating that the name was already established in the region at that time.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical records from the Kingdom of Aragon, such as tax rolls and land ownership documents. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Terres" or "Terrez," reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.

One notable figure bearing the surname Terras was Francesc Terras, a Catalan merchant and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Terras played a significant role in establishing trade relationships between Spain and the New World.

Another prominent individual with this name was Jaume Terras, a 16th-century Catalan architect renowned for his contributions to the Renaissance architectural style in Spain. He designed several notable buildings, including the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona.

In the 17th century, the surname Terras spread beyond Catalonia and can be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Diego Terras, a Spanish military officer who served in the conquest of Mexico and later became a prominent landowner in New Spain.

During the 18th century, the name Terras appeared in various regions of Europe, possibly due to migration and trade. For example, there are records of individuals with this surname in France, Italy, and even parts of Germany, where it may have been influenced by similar-sounding local surnames.

One of the most famous bearers of the Terras surname was the 19th-century Spanish painter and engraver, Marià Terras. Born in Barcelona in 1818, he gained recognition for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting everyday life in Catalonia.

Throughout its history, the surname Terras has undergone various spelling variations, such as Terres, Terrez, Terraz, and Terrace, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences in its usage. However, the essence of the name, rooted in the concept of land or earth, has remained a consistent thread across its evolution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Terras

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

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

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

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