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

Ulloa, 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 Ulloa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ulloa in America

Ulloa is the 2743rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ulloa surname appeared 13,133 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 Ulloa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ulloa 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 Ulloa

The surname Ulloa originated in the northwestern region of Spain, particularly in the province of Galicia. It is believed to have derived from the Galician topographic term "ulloa," which means a small valley or hollow between hills. This suggests that the name was likely initially used to identify someone who lived in or came from such a geographic location.

The earliest known record of the Ulloa surname dates back to the 12th century. In 1162, a nobleman named Rodrigo Álvarez de Ulloa was mentioned in a document related to the Monastery of San Martín Pinario in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. This indicates that the Ulloa family had already established itself as a prominent lineage in the region by that time.

In the 13th century, the Ulloa family played a significant role in the regional politics of Galicia. One notable figure was Rodrigo Álvarez de Ulloa, who served as the Lord of Ulloa and was involved in conflicts with the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela during the reign of King Alfonso IX of León.

The Ulloa name also appeared in historical records outside of Galicia. In the 14th century, Juan Rodríguez de Ulloa (c. 1310-1370) was a notable knight and military leader who fought in the Battle of Nájera during the Castilian Civil War. He was later appointed as the governor of Seville by King Pedro I of Castile.

During the 15th century, the Ulloa family continued to hold influential positions in Galicia. Lope Sánchez de Ulloa (c. 1415-1490) was a prominent nobleman and military commander who served under King Juan II of Castile and León. He participated in the conquest of Gibraltar and the Battle of Olmedo.

Another notable figure from this period was Juan de Ulloa (c. 1470-1539), a Spanish explorer and navigator. He is best known for leading the first European expedition to explore the coast of present-day Mexico in 1539, giving his name to several geographic features, including the Gulf of Ulloa and Ulloa Island.

In the 16th century, Alonso de Ulloa (c. 1530-1589) was a Spanish writer and historian who authored the book "La Vida de Carlos V" (The Life of Charles V), a biography of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He also served as a diplomat and held various administrative positions in Spain and the Spanish colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ulloa

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

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

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

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