Explore the Family Name Requena

The meaning of Requena

Catalan and Spanish: habitational name from Requena in Valencia or Requena de Campos in Palencia, apparently so called from a short form of the various Visigothic compound personal names with the first element rīc ‘power(ful)’, with the addition of the locative suffix -ena. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Pedro, Cesar, Jose, Alfredo, Andres, Berta, Carlos, Jorge, Juan, Reina, Ricardo, Angel.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Requena increased significantly between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 21,176 among all surnames in the United States, whereas by 2010, it had climbed to 17,087. This represents an increase of over 19 percent. The actual count of people with the Requena surname also rose, from 1,155 in 2000 to 1,661 in 2010, a 43.81 percent increase. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals bearing the Requena surname for every 100,000 residents grew by over 30 percent during this ten-year period.

20002010Change
Rank#21,176#17,08719.31%
Count1,1551,66143.81%
Proportion per 100k0.430.5630.23%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Requena

The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Requena. In 2010, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as Hispanic, although the percentage decreased slightly from 86.15 percent in 2000 to 84.47 percent in 2010. There was a notable increase in those identifying as Black, which rose from 4.50 percent to 6.56 percent, a hike of over 45 percent. The percentage of individuals identifying as White also saw a modest increase of 3.38 percent. There were small changes in other categories; notably, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander appeared in 2010, while those identifying with two or more races disappeared from the data. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained unchanged at zero for both years.

20002010Change
Hispanic86.15%84.47%-1.95%
White7.1%7.34%3.38%
Black4.5%6.56%45.78%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.78%0%
Two or More Races1.9%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%