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

Veiga, 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 Veiga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Veiga in America

Veiga is the 18640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Veiga surname appeared 1,476 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Veiga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Veiga 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 Veiga

The surname "Veiga" originates from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Portugal and Galicia in northwestern Spain. It emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Veiga is derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "veiga," which means a fertile lowland, meadow, or valley. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived or worked in such areas.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Veiga can be found in historical documents from Portugal and Galicia. For example, there are references to individuals bearing this surname in the "Livro das Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese genealogical text.

One notable historical figure who bore the surname Veiga was Afonso Eanes da Veiga (c.1285-1349), a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Battle of Rio Salado against the Moors in 1340.

Another prominent individual with the surname Veiga was Pedro Álvares da Veiga (1500-1575), a Portuguese jurist and author who wrote several influential legal treatises during the 16th century.

In Spain, the surname Veiga is particularly prevalent in the region of Galicia, where it has been associated with several notable families throughout history. One such family was the Veigas de Andrade, a noble lineage that traced its roots back to the 12th century.

Another notable figure with the surname Veiga was José Vega y Veiga (1670-1745), a Spanish Baroque painter and engraver who was active in the early 18th century. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Spain.

Additionally, the surname Veiga has been recorded in various forms, such as Vega, Vegas, and Veigas, reflecting linguistic variations and regional dialects within the Iberian Peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in a different spelling is Gonzalo de Vega (c.1370-1437), a Spanish military commander who served under King Juan II of Castile during the Reconquista.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Veiga

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

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

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

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