2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Argonza
A habitational surname derived from the town of Argonza in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Argonza. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Argonza 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Argonza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Argonza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Argonza
The surname ARGONZA originated in Spain, likely in the 15th or 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "argón," meaning "a type of thorny shrub." This suggests that the name may have been originally applied to someone who lived near or worked with these shrubs.
Early records of the name can be found in various Spanish municipal archives and church records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is Pedro de Argonza, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
The name ARGONZA is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 17th century, Miguel de Argonza was a Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in 1608 and died in 1678.
Another prominent figure with this surname was José de Argonza y Mendoza, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Philippines from 1663 to 1668.
In the 19th century, Juan de Argonza was a Spanish writer and journalist who published several works on literature and culture. He was born in 1815 and died in 1892.
One of the most recent noteworthy individuals with the surname ARGONZA was Manuel Argonza, a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house of the Spanish parliament) from 1996 to 2004.
While the name ARGONZA is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its Spanish roots and association with various notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Argonza
Among Census respondents with the surname Argonza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Argonza 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 Argonza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 12
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- White3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Argonza
Argonza appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,371 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 Argonza 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 | #141,140 | #143,511 | -1.7% |
| Count | 118 | 118 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Argonza bearers went from 118 to 118 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,371 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #143,511.
FAQ
Argonza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Argonza?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Argonza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Argonza?
Argonza ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Argonza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Argonza.
Has Argonza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Argonza went from 118 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Argonza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Argonza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Argonza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Argonza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.4%), Hispanic (10.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Argonza (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 Argonza mean?
A habitational surname derived from the town of Argonza in Spain. 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 Argonza (0.04 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 many Americans have the surname Argonza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.