Explore the Family Name Rego
The meaning of Rego
1. Portuguese and Galician: topographic name from rego ‘ditch, channel, furrow’, or a habitational name from any of numerous places in Portugal and Galicia (Spain) called Rego. Compare Do Rego. 2. Hungarian (Regő): occupational name for a musician or poet, from rege ‘song, tale’. 3. Altered form of French Rigaut, a variant of Rigaud. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Jose, Armando, Eduardo, Carlos, Fernando, Francisco, Ramon, Humberto, Juan, Luis, Mario. Portuguese Joao, Duarte, Adauto, Albano, Goncalo, Guilherme, Serafim.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rego in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Rego has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. The name was ranked 5770 in 2000, but it dropped to 6375 in 2010, reflecting a decrease of 10.49%. Additionally, the count of individuals with this surname fell by 2.84%, from 5498 in 2000 to 5342 in 2010. This resulted in a decline of 11.27% in the proportion per 100,000 people who carry the surname Rego.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,770 | #6,375 | -10.49% |
| Count | 5,498 | 5,342 | -2.84% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.04 | 1.81 | -11.27% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rego
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates a varied distribution for the surname Rego. The highest percentage was among those identifying as White, which remained relatively stable at around 80% in both 2000 and 2010. There has been an increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, rising by 45.62% to reach 4.66%. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic saw a rise of 17.88%, reaching 11.21% in 2010. On the other hand, there were significant decreases among those identifying as Black and those identifying with two or more races, with declines of 51.55% and 32.92% respectively. Those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native also decreased, albeit at a smaller rate of 16%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80.41% | 79.95% | -0.57% |
| Hispanic | 9.51% | 11.21% | 17.88% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.2% | 4.66% | 45.62% |
| Two or More Races | 4.04% | 2.71% | -32.92% |
| Black | 2.58% | 1.25% | -51.55% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.25% | 0.21% | -16% |
Rego 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 Rego is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 44.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (17.7%) and French & German (8.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Southern Indian Subgroup, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Chinese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 44.6% |
| British & Irish | 17.7% |
| French & German | 8.6% |
| Other | 29.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Rego
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 Rego have recent ancestry locations in Portugal and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Azores, Portugal | 53.70% |
| Madeira, Portugal | 52.30% |
| Lisbon, Portugal | 49.70% |
| Coimbra District, Portugal | 49.00% |
| Aveiro District, Portugal | 48.30% |
What Rego 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 Rego is J-M304, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-M304 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include I-M170 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Braga, Burk, Kremer, Rossman, Harrison, Paez, Andrews, Browne, Kohler, Richards.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rego surname are: M, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to some of the first farmers
It was in the heart of the Middle East, soon after the Ice Age drew to a close 12,500 years ago, that humans first learned to domesticate cereals and livestock and completely transformed their way of life. They began to live more sedentary lives in closer proximity to one another. With greater resources, cultures in the Fertile Crescent made technological advances more rapidly than ever before. Farming was such a successful strategy that populations boomed, sparking waves of migration into Europe about 8,000 years ago. Men bearing haplogroup J were among the drivers of this innovation, and were also among the first waves to spread the new technology across the continents.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Rego 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.
"Rego" Surname 42.1%
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.
"Rego" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Rego" Surname 11.6%
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.
"Rego" Surname 19.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Rego?
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 Rego are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition