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

Escobar, 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 Escobar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Escobar in America

Escobar is the 520th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Escobar surname appeared 64,403 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname Escobar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Escobar 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 Escobar

The surname Escobar originated in Spain and traces its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "escoba," meaning "broom," and likely referred to an occupation or a place name associated with the manufacturing or selling of brooms.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Escobar surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Cugat del Vallés, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of Sant Cugat in Catalonia, dating back to the 11th century.

During the 13th century, the Escobar name appeared in various records in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. It is believed that the name may have originated from the village of Escobar, located in the province of Cáceres, in the Extremadura region of western Spain.

In the 15th century, the Escobar family played a prominent role in the conquest and colonization of the Americas. Diego de Escobar, born around 1460, was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Puerto Rico and Cuba alongside Juan Ponce de León.

Another notable figure with the Escobar surname was Antonio de Escobar y Mendoza, a Jesuit priest and moral theologian born in Valladolid in 1589. He authored several influential works on moral theology and casuistry, including the "Liber Theologiae Moralis" (Book of Moral Theology).

During the Spanish Golden Age, the Escobar name was also associated with the arts. Miguel de Cervantes, the renowned author of "Don Quixote," mentioned a character named Escobar in one of his works, "La ilustre fregona" (The Illustrious Kitchen-maid).

In the 19th century, José Ramón Escobar y Escobar, a Chilean politician and diplomat, played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the establishment of the border between Chile and Argentina in the Patagonia region.

Another notable figure with the Escobar surname was Andrés Escobar, a Colombian professional footballer who represented his country in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Tragically, he was murdered in 1994 after scoring an own goal in that tournament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Escobar

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

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 Escobar 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 Escobar 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 Escobar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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