2000
#508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.84
Uncommon Last name
Aguirre
From the Basque language, meaning "prominent" or "exposed" and referring to someone who lived on a high spot.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 88,064 Americans carry the last name Aguirre. That puts it at #414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,892 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aguirre surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Aguirre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
88K
1 in 3,892
Census rank
#414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
77K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 76,796 bearers of the surname Aguirre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aguirre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aguirre
The surname Aguirre has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France. It is derived from the Basque words 'agur' meaning 'good' and 'iri' meaning 'town', indicating that the name likely referred to someone from a reputable or prosperous town.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Aguirre can be found in medieval documents from the Kingdom of Navarre, such as the Fuero de Navarra from the 13th century. The name was also present in the Becerro Galicano, a collection of genealogical records from the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name Aguirre gained prominence due to Lope de Aguirre, a Spanish conquistador and rebel leader known for his ruthless actions during the Spanish conquest of Peru. He was born in Oñati, Gipuzkoa, around 1510 and died in 1561.
Another notable figure with the surname Aguirre was Joaquín Aguirre y Bilbao, a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the 47th President of Mexico from 1924 to 1928. He was born in San Andrés Chalchicomula, Puebla, in 1857 and died in 1942.
In the realm of literature, the name Aguirre is associated with Miguel Aguirre y Espinosa, a Spanish poet and playwright from the 17th century. He was born in Seville around 1620 and his works include plays such as "El príncipe de su estrella" and "El galan sin dama".
The surname Aguirre can also be found in various place names, such as Aguirre Canyon in New Mexico, USA, and Aguirre Beach in Puerto Rico, both named after individuals with this last name.
Another notable bearer of the Aguirre surname was José María Aguirre y Zumaran, a Basque politician and writer from the early 20th century. He was born in Bilbao, Bizkaia, in 1873 and played a significant role in the Basque nationalist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aguirre
Among Census respondents with the surname Aguirre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aguirre bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aguirre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 70,668
- White5.6% · 4,265
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 1,137
- Two or more races0.4% · 295
- Black or African American0.3% · 249
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 182
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aguirre
Aguirre appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,517
+20,599 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 26.96
Rank movement Up 107 places
2020
#414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,796
-2,721 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 25.69
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #508 | 58,918 | 21.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #401 | 79,517 | 26.96 | +20,599 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 107 places |
| 2020 | #414 | 76,796 | 25.69 | -2,721 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aguirre surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #401 | #414 | -3.2% |
| Count | 79,517 | 76,796 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 26.96 | 25.69 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aguirre bearers went from 79,517 to 76,796 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #401 to #414.
FAQ
Aguirre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aguirre?
Name Census estimates that about 88,064 living Americans carry the surname Aguirre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,892 residents.
How common is Aguirre?
Aguirre ranks #414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 76,796 people with the surname Aguirre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (88,064), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Aguirre.
Has Aguirre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aguirre went from 79,517 recorded bearers to 76,796. That is a decrease of 2,721 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #401 to #414.
What does the Census say about the background of Aguirre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aguirre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aguirre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (70,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aguirre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aguirre (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aguirre mean?
From the Basque language, meaning "prominent" or "exposed" and referring to someone who lived on a high spot. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aguirre (25.69 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Aguirre?
You can see how many people have the surname Aguirre on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.