Explore the Family Name Vara
The meaning of Vara
1. Galician, Asturian-Leonese, and Spanish: habitational name from Vara (Galicia), Vara del Rey (Cuenca), or La Vara (Asturias). Compare De la Vara. 2. Portuguese and Spanish: from vara ‘rod, stick, yardstick’ (from Late Latin vara ‘forked stick’), applied as a nickname or a metonymic occupational name in any of various possible senses; it may have been given to a keeper of animals, who used a stick to urge his charges on, or to an official who was responsible for checking weights and measures or who carried a rod as a symbol of his office. 3. Italian (Sicily): either of Spanish origin (see 2 above) or, alternatively, a nickname or a metonymic occupational name from Sicilian vara ‘large board decorated with images of saints, used for processions’, also ‘coffin’. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Miguel, Mario, Alfonso, Carlos, Ramiro, Raul, Adalberto, Fernando, Gerardo, Jesus. Italian Carmine, Fulvio, Antonio, Carmela, Cecilio, Federico.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Vara in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Vara has increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 10,843rd most popular surname, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 9,790th spot – a significant increase of 9.71%. The number of people with the Vara surname also grew during this period from 2,698 in 2000 to 3,307 in 2010, marking a rise of 22.57%. Consequently, the proportion of the Vara surname per 100,000 people increased from 1.0 in 2000 to 1.12 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,843 | #9,790 | 9.71% |
| Count | 2,698 | 3,307 | 22.57% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1 | 1.12 | 12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vara
The Decennial U.S. Census data on ethnicity reveals changes in the ethnic identity associated with the Vara surname from 2000 to 2010. The Hispanic group constituted the largest ethnicity for this surname at 68.38% in 2000, which slightly decreased to 67.46% by 2010. The White population with the Vara surname showed a small growth from 26.80% in 2000 to 28.12% in 2010. Meanwhile, the Asian/Pacific Islander and Black populations remained relatively steady at around 2.74-2.81% and 0.48-0.51%, respectively. However, the proportion of individuals identifying with two or more races decreased from 1.15% to 0.73%, and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native also dropped from 0.44% to 0.36%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 68.38% | 67.46% | -1.35% |
| White | 26.8% | 28.12% | 4.93% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.74% | 2.81% | 2.55% |
| Two or More Races | 1.15% | 0.73% | -36.52% |
| Black | 0.48% | 0.51% | 6.25% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.44% | 0.36% | -18.18% |