Explore the Family Name Nogueira

The meaning of Nogueira

Portuguese and Galician: habitational name from any of numerous places in Portugal and Galicia (Spain) so named from nogueira ‘walnut tree’ (from Late Latin nucarius, from nux, genitive nucis ‘nut’). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Carlos, Fernando, Alicia, Alvaro, Eduardo, Jorge, Claudio, Geraldo, Juan, Mario. Portuguese Joaquim, Paulo, Afonso, Joao, Manoel.

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

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

The surname Nogueira has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it was ranked as the 17,996th most common surname, but by 2010 it had climbed to 15,074th place, marking a 16.24% rise in rank. The count of individuals with the Nogueira surname also increased during this period, going from 1,430 in 2000 to 1,957 in 2010 — an impressive growth rate of 36.85%. Consequently, the proportion of Nogueiras per 100,000 people in the U.S. population rose by 24.53%.

20002010Change
Rank#17,996#15,07416.24%
Count1,4301,95736.85%
Proportion per 100k0.530.6624.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nogueira

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that there was a notable shift among those carrying the Nogueira name between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Nogueiras who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled, increasing from 1.26% to 2.81%. Similarly, the proportion identifying as Black also saw a substantial increase, jumping from 1.19% to 3.17%. Those claiming Hispanic ethnicity increased at a slower pace, from 20.56% to 22.94%. Meanwhile, the proportion of Nogueiras identifying as White saw a small uptick, rising from 67.90% to 69.70%. However, the percentage identifying as two or more races dropped to zero, down from 9.09% in 2000. No respondents identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White67.9%69.7%2.65%
Hispanic20.56%22.94%11.58%
Black1.19%3.17%166.39%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.26%2.81%123.02%
Two or More Races9.09%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Nogueira 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 Nogueira is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 65.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Italian (7.2%) and British & Irish (6.5%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Indigenous American, Eastern European, Angolan & Congolese, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Spanish & Portuguese65.2%
Italian7.2%
British & Irish6.5%
Other21.1%
Nogueira

Possible origins of the surname Nogueira

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 Nogueira have recent ancestry locations in Portugal and Brazil.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Azores, Portugal76.00%
Madeira, Portugal75.20%
Aveiro District, Portugal72.80%
Porto District, Portugal71.20%
Lisbon, Portugal71.20%

What Nogueira 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 Nogueira 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 R-P312 and R-Z195, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Viera, Garzon, Vela, Razo, Botelho, De Souza, Pressley, Ballesteros, Armstrong, Lozada.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Nogueira surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

nogueiraPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Nogueira 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

Nogueira

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Nogueira" Surname 48.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Nogueira

Misophonia

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

"Nogueira" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Nogueira

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Nogueira" Surname 11.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Nogueira

Migraine

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

"Nogueira" Surname 10.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Nogueira?

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

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Spanish & Portuguese 56.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%