2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Valega
Of Galician or Northern Portuguese origin, referring to someone from the Valega region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Valega. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valega surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Valega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (46.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valega
The surname VALEGA has its origins in Portugal, tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Portuguese word "vale," meaning valley, and the suffix "-ga," which denotes a place of origin. Therefore, VALEGA likely referred to someone who hailed from a valley or a specific valley region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VALEGA can be found in the chronicles of the Portuguese monarch King Afonso IV, who reigned from 1325 to 1357. These chronicles mention a nobleman named Gonçalo Valega, who served as a trusted advisor to the king during his reign.
In the 15th century, the VALEGA name appeared in various historical documents related to the Portuguese exploration and colonization efforts. Notably, a navigator named João Valega was part of the expedition led by Vasco da Gama, which discovered the maritime route to India in 1498.
During the 16th century, the VALEGA surname gained prominence in the Azores Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal. Several notable figures from this time period bore the name, including Diogo Valega (1515-1592), a prominent landowner and merchant from the island of São Miguel.
As the Portuguese empire expanded across the globe, the VALEGA name spread to various colonies and territories. In the 17th century, a soldier named Pedro Valega (1632-1701) served in the Portuguese army and participated in the conquest of the city of Goa in India.
In the 19th century, a Brazilian politician named Antônio Valega (1825-1889) rose to prominence as a member of the Imperial Parliament during the reign of Emperor Pedro II. He was a vocal advocate for the abolition of slavery in Brazil and played a significant role in the country's political landscape.
Throughout history, the VALEGA surname has been associated with various place names and locations within Portugal, such as Vale de Cambra, Valega de Baixo, and Valega de Cima, among others. These place names likely contributed to the surname's evolution and variations in spelling over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valega
Among Census respondents with the surname Valega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (46.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Valega bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Valega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino52.6% · 61
- White46.6% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valega
Valega appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,183 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,183 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 192 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Valega surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #145,028 | 0.1% |
| Count | 114 | 116 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valega bearers went from 114 to 116 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,028.
FAQ
Valega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valega?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Valega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Valega?
Valega ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Valega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Valega.
Has Valega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valega went from 114 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Valega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (46.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Valega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (61 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (52.6%), White (46.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Valega (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Valega mean?
Of Galician or Northern Portuguese origin, referring to someone from the Valega region. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Valega (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Valega?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.