2000
#12,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Cuadra
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stable, barn, or block of houses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,215 Americans carry the last name Cuadra. That puts it at #10,851 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuadra 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
3.2K
1 in 106,611
Census rank
#10,851
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,804 bearers of the surname Cuadra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10851st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuadra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuadra
The surname CUADRA has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "cuadra," which means a stable or a barn where horses were kept. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who worked or lived near a stable or barn.
In the early days, the surname CUADRA was often spelled in various ways, such as Quadra, Quadras, or Cuadras, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records.
One of the earliest known bearers of the CUADRA surname was Rodrigo de Cuadra, a Spanish nobleman and military leader who lived in the 14th century. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the campaigns undertaken by Christian rulers to reclaim territories from the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula.
During the 15th century, the CUADRA name gained prominence through the exploits of Juan de Cuadra, a renowned Spanish explorer and navigator. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and later served as the governor of the island of Antigua.
Another notable figure with the CUADRA surname was Pedro de Cuadra, a Spanish soldier and explorer who lived in the 16th century. He participated in the conquest of Mexico and later served as the governor of the province of Guatemala.
In the 17th century, Francisco de Cuadra y Llerena, a Spanish clergyman and author, made significant contributions to the literary world with his works on theology and philosophy.
Over the centuries, the CUADRA surname has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Cuadra del Sur, Cuadra de Romero, and Cuadra de Villalobos, which may have influenced the spread and evolution of the name.
While the CUADRA surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. Today, the name can be found in various countries, with notable bearers contributing to various fields, including arts, sciences, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuadra
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuadra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuadra 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 Cuadra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.6% · 2,484
- White6.4% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 100
- Black or African American0.7% · 20
- Two or more races0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuadra
Cuadra 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
#11,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,863
+593 bearers (+26.1%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 1,434 places
2020
#10,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,804
-59 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,520 | 2,270 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,086 | 2,863 | 0.97 | +593 bearers (+26.1%) | Up 1,434 places |
| 2020 | #10,851 | 2,804 | 0.94 | -59 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 235 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 Cuadra 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 | #11,086 | #10,851 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,863 | 2,804 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.94 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuadra bearers went from 2,863 to 2,804 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,086 to #10,851.
FAQ
Cuadra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuadra?
Name Census estimates that about 3,215 living Americans carry the surname Cuadra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,611 residents.
How common is Cuadra?
Cuadra ranks #10,851 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,804 people with the surname Cuadra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cuadra.
Has Cuadra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuadra went from 2,863 recorded bearers to 2,804. That is a decrease of 59 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,086 to #10,851.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuadra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuadra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Cuadra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (2,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuadra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.6%), White (6.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Cuadra (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 Cuadra mean?
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stable, barn, or block of houses. 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 Cuadra (0.94 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 people have the surname Cuadra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.