2000
#15,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Escarcega
A Basque toponymic surname referring to a person from Escarcega, a place meaning "slope of the crag."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,566 Americans carry the last name Escarcega. That puts it at #13,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Escarcega 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
2.6K
1 in 133,575
Census rank
#13,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,238 bearers of the surname Escarcega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Escarcega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Escarcega
The surname Escarcega has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Extremadura, located in western Spain, near the border with Portugal.
Escarcega is derived from the Spanish word "escarcega," which means "watercress." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or a descriptive name given to someone who lived near a place where watercress grew in abundance, or someone who cultivated or sold watercress.
Early records mentioning the surname Escarcega can be found in various Spanish archives and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known references is in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in Seville after the city was conquered from the Moors.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the "Cuadernos de Repartimientos de Andalucía," which were records of land grants and settlements in the region of Andalusia. This suggests that the Escarcega family may have been involved in the repopulation and resettlement of areas conquered from the Moors during the Reconquista.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Escarcega was Juan Escarcega, who lived in the city of Badajoz in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Pedro Escarcega, a soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Escarcega surname can be found in various records and documents from different parts of Spain, including Extremadura, Andalusia, and the regions of Valencia and Murcia. This suggests that the family had spread and established branches in different areas of the country.
In the 18th century, there are records of Escarcega families in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central America. This indicates that some members of the Escarcega family had participated in the Spanish colonization and settlement of the New World.
Other notable individuals with the surname Escarcega include:
1. Francisco Escarcega (1660-1732), a Spanish painter and engraver from Seville.
2. Tomás Escarcega (1765-1835), a Mexican military officer and politician during the Mexican War of Independence.
3. Mariano Escarcega (1824-1892), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as governor of the state of Jalisco.
4. Jesús Escarcega (1876-1948), a Mexican artist and sculptor known for his religious works.
5. Luisa Escarcega (1898-1976), a Spanish writer and poet from Extremadura.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Escarcega
Among Census respondents with the surname Escarcega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Escarcega 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 Escarcega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 2,059
- White6.0% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 30
- Two or more races0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Escarcega
Escarcega 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
#12,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,363
+624 bearers (+35.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 2,470 places
2020
#13,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
-125 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,464 | 1,739 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,994 | 2,363 | 0.80 | +624 bearers (+35.9%) | Up 2,470 places |
| 2020 | #13,103 | 2,238 | 0.75 | -125 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 109 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 Escarcega 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 | #12,994 | #13,103 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,363 | 2,238 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.75 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Escarcega bearers went from 2,363 to 2,238 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,994 to #13,103.
FAQ
Escarcega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Escarcega?
Name Census estimates that about 2,566 living Americans carry the surname Escarcega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,575 residents.
How common is Escarcega?
Escarcega ranks #13,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,238 people with the surname Escarcega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Escarcega.
Has Escarcega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Escarcega went from 2,363 recorded bearers to 2,238. That is a decrease of 125 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,994 to #13,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Escarcega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Escarcega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Escarcega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Escarcega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (6.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Escarcega (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 Escarcega mean?
A Basque toponymic surname referring to a person from Escarcega, a place meaning "slope of the crag." 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 Escarcega (0.75 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 Escarcega?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.