Explore the Family Name Guerra
The meaning of Guerra
1. Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian: nickname for a belligerent person or for a soldier, from guerra ‘war’. 2. Italian: from a short form of various medieval compound personal names containing the element guerra ‘war’, for example Vinciguerra. 3. Basque: Castilianized form of Gerra, a topographic name for someone who lived in a break or depression in a range of hills, from Basque gerri ‘waist’. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Juan, Manuel, Carlos, Jesus, Luis, Raul, Mario, Armando, Francisco, Jorge, Roberto. Portuguese Henrique, Joao, Paulo, Sil. Italian Antonio, Marco, Dario, Lorenzo, Leonardo, Romeo, Aldo, Ciro, Luciano, Vito, Angelo, Sal.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Guerra in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Guerra has seen a notable increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Guerra was ranked as the 554th most popular surname, a ranking that improved significantly to 473rd by 2010. This represents an upswing of 14.62%. The census further captured an increase in the number of people bearing the Guerra surname during this period, with a count of 54,575 in 2000 that rose to 70,071 in 2010 - a growth rate of 28.39%. Also, the proportion of individuals with the Guerra surname per 100k population grew by 17.4%, from 20.23 in 2000 to 23.75 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #554 | #473 | 14.62% |
| Count | 54,575 | 70,071 | 28.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 20.23 | 23.75 | 17.4% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Guerra
Delving into the ethnic identity of individuals with the Guerra surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that the majority identify as Hispanic. In both 2000 and 2010, Hispanics represented the largest share, with 84.87% in 2000 and a slight growth to 86.59% in 2010. There was also a small percentage increase among those who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black, with increases of 13.73% and 8.11% respectively. However, the percentage of Guerras identifying as White and American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 11.55% and 10.71% respectively. Additionally, there was a significant drop of 52.54% in the percentage of those identifying as belonging to two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 84.87% | 86.59% | 2.03% |
| White | 12.73% | 11.26% | -11.55% |
| Black | 0.74% | 0.8% | 8.11% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.51% | 0.58% | 13.73% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.56% | 0.5% | -10.71% |
| Two or More Races | 0.59% | 0.28% | -52.54% |
Guerra ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Guerra is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 41.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Indigenous American (22.7%) and British & Irish (11.9%). Additional ancestries include Italian, French & German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, and Senegambian & Guinean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 41.8% |
| Indigenous American | 22.7% |
| British & Irish | 11.9% |
| Other | 23.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Guerra
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Guerra have recent ancestry locations all within Mexico.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sonora, Mexico | 51.80% |
| Sinaloa, Mexico | 51.80% |
| Durango, Mexico | 51.80% |
| Guanajuato, Mexico | 51.80% |
| Jalisco, Mexico | 51.80% |
What Guerra haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Guerra is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include Q-M3 and R-Z214, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Ruiz, Garcia, Rivas, Espinosa, Sanchez, Gomez, Sandoval, Diaz, Rodriguez, Perez.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Guerra surname are: A2, H, B2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Guerra have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Guerra" Surname 39.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Guerra" Surname 28.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Guerra" Surname 20.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Guerra" Surname 14.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Guerra?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Guerra are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition