Explore the Family Name Najera

The meaning of Najera

Spanish (Nájera): habitational name from Nájera, a city in La Rioja province. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Juan, Jesus, Miguel, Manuel, Francisco, Guadalupe, Carlos, Mario, Pedro, Raul, Roberto.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Najera in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Najera has grown significantly between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Najera was ranked 2,698th in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had jumped to 1,971st, marking a 26.95% increase. Additionally, in 2000 there were 12,270 individuals with the Najera surname, but this count increased to 18,340 in 2010, an impressive growth of 49.47%. The proportion of people named Najera per 100,000 also rose from 4.55 to 6.22 during this period, indicating a 36.7% rise.

20002010Change
Rank#2,698#1,97126.95%
Count12,27018,34049.47%
Proportion per 100k4.556.2236.7%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Najera

The ethnicity associated with the surname Najera according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, reveals that the vast majority of people with this surname identify as Hispanic. Between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of Najeras identifying as Hispanic even slightly increased from 93.96% to 94.95%. The second largest ethnic identity group for Najeras is White, which decreased from 4.35% in 2000 to 3.66% in 2010. Very few Najeras identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native, with proportions ranging from 0.24% to 0.61% in 2010. Most of these smaller groups experienced decreases over the decade, except for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, which increased slightly from 0.27% to 0.28%.

20002010Change
Hispanic93.96%94.95%1.05%
White4.35%3.66%-15.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.74%0.61%-17.57%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.27%0.28%3.7%
Black0.29%0.27%-6.9%
Two or More Races0.39%0.24%-38.46%

Najera 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 Najera is Indigenous American, which comprises 38.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Spanish & Portuguese (35.4%) and British & Irish (8.9%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Eastern European, Italian, Senegambian & Guinean, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Indigenous American38.0%
Spanish & Portuguese35.4%
British & Irish8.9%
Other17.7%
Najera

Possible origins of the surname Najera

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 Najera have recent ancestry locations all within Mexico.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Aguascalientes, Mexico81.70%
Jalisco, Mexico81.70%
Zacatecas, Mexico81.70%
Veracruz, Mexico81.70%
State Of Mexico, Mexico81.70%

What Najera 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 Najera is Q-M3, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup Q-M3 is descended from haplogroup Q-M242. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and E-M180, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Ibarra, Medrano, Aguilar, Montes, Palacios, Esquivel, Vasquez, Reyes, Ramirez, Carmona.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Najera surname are: A2, H, B2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

najeraPaternal Haplogroup Origins Q-M242
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to The Ancient One

When two college students stumbled upon a human skull on the banks of the Columbia River, neither the students nor the police who responded to their 911 call could have imagined the archaeological significance of this rare discovery. The skull — along with about 300 other bone fragments found near Kennewick, Washington — belonged to a 9,000 year-old nomad who Native Americans have dubbed "The Ancient One." Based on skeletal clues, The Ancient One (also known as "Kennewick Man") likely swam, wielded a spear, and hunted coastal fauna for the greater part of his lifeInitial craniometric studies suggested he descended from ancient Japanese and Polynesian-like people and had little in common with living Native Americans. This claim — refuted by the Plateau tribes of the Pacific Northwest — became the center of a decades-long legal battle over the provenance of the remains. When The Ancient One's genome was finally sequenced in 2015, the evidence revealed he was genetically most similar to modern-day Native Americans. In fact, local tribes were found to be direct descendants of a population closely related to The Ancient One; in 2017, he finally received a proper Native American burial. This critical discovery helps illustrate a genetic continuity between ancient and modern-day Native Americans. Furthermore, his paternal line belonged to haplogroup Q-M3, the predominant lineage among Native Americans today.

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Najera 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

Najera

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Najera" Surname 37.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Najera

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Najera" Surname 31.6%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Najera

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Najera" Surname 26.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Najera

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Najera" Surname 20.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Najera?

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 Najera are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Celiac Disease

HLA-DQ8 variant

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which the consumption of gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye) can result in damage to the small intestine. Celiac disease can lead to both digestive and non-digestive problems. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes two common variants associated with an increased risk of developing this condition. Learn more about Celiac Disease

Indigenous American 66.9%

23andMe Users 20.0%