Find out how popular the last name Aguilar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Aguilar.

Aguilar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Aguilar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aguilar in America

Aguilar is the 23768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aguilar surname appeared 1,064 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Aguilar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aguilar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Aguilar

The surname Aquilar is of Spanish origin, originating in the medieval era around the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "aguila," which means eagle, suggesting that the name may have been given to a person with an eagle-like appearance or demeanor.

The earliest known record of the surname Aquilar can be traced back to the Kingdom of Aragon in northeastern Spain. During this time, surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin. The name may have been adopted by a family residing in or near a town with a name related to eagles, such as Aguilar.

In the 13th century, the surname Aquilar appeared in several historical documents, including the records of the Spanish Inquisition. One notable individual from this era was Pedro Aquilar, a prominent merchant from Valencia who was accused of heresy but later acquitted.

As the Spanish empire expanded, the surname Aquilar spread across the Iberian Peninsula and eventually to the New World. In the 16th century, Juan de Aquilar was a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. He was among the first Europeans to encounter the Aztec civilization and played a crucial role in the conquest of Tenochtitlan.

In the 17th century, the Aquilar family established itself in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. Miguel Aquilar, a wealthy landowner in New Spain (present-day Mexico), was known for his philanthropic endeavors, including the construction of a hospital and a church in his hometown.

Another notable figure with the surname Aquilar was María Aquilar, a renowned writer and poet from Seville, Spain, who lived in the late 18th century. Her works, which explored themes of love and spirituality, were widely celebrated during her lifetime and continue to be studied by scholars today.

As the name Aquilar spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, it also evolved into various spellings, such as Aguilar, Aguilera, and Aguilera-Aquilar. These variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or personal preferences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aguilar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Aguilar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Aguilar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Aguilar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Aguilar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Aguilar, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!