Najera
A Spanish surname most likely tied to the place name Nájera in La Rioja, Spain.
The #1,971 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,835 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Najera is best understood as a locational surname, taken from the town of Nájera in La Rioja, northern Spain. The place name itself is ancient and has been explained in more than one way, with scholars often treating its deeper origin as uncertain or pre-Roman. In surname use, it would have identified someone who came from that town or its surrounding district.
History
The surname spread through Spain and later to Latin America through migration from the Iberian Peninsula. In the modern Spanish-speaking world it is found especially in areas shaped by colonial-era movement and later transatlantic migration. The written form often loses the accent in English-language records, becoming Najera instead of Nájera.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The town of Nájera was an important medieval center in northern Spain, so the surname links bearers to a historically significant place as well as a family origin.