2000
#6,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,708
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Esquibel
A Basque toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Eskibel in Navarre, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,499 Americans carry the last name Esquibel. That puts it at #6,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,330 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esquibel 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
5.5K
1 in 62,330
Census rank
#6,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,795 bearers of the surname Esquibel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esquibel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esquibel
The surname Esquibel has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is derived from the Basque words "etxe" meaning house, and "gibel" meaning behind or rear. The name likely referred to someone who lived behind or at the rear of a house.
The earliest known records of the Esquibel name date back to the 12th century in the Basque provinces of Spain. The name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, including the "Becerro Galicano de Villas de Vizcaya" from 1510, which documented landholdings and families in the region.
In the 16th century, the Esquibel family was well-established in the town of Bermeo, located in the province of Vizcaya. One notable member was Juan de Esquibel, born around 1520, who was a respected merchant and shipowner involved in the lucrative cod fishing industry.
As the Spanish empire expanded into the Americas, the Esquibel name spread to the New World. In 1598, Francisco de Esquibel was among the first Spanish settlers in New Mexico, where he became a prominent landowner and rancher.
Another early bearer of the Esquibel name in the Americas was Ignacio de Esquibel, born in 1647 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He served as a military officer and played a role in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when the Pueblo people rose up against Spanish rule.
In the 18th century, the Esquibel family continued to be influential in New Mexico. José Antonio de Esquibel, born in 1710, was a respected community leader and served as the Alcalde (mayor) of Santa Fe in 1765.
As the Esquibel name spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, it also appeared in various place names. For example, Esquibel is a small town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which likely derived its name from early settlers with the Esquibel surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esquibel
Among Census respondents with the surname Esquibel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Esquibel 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 Esquibel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.6% · 3,912
- White12.3% · 590
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 186
- Two or more races1.0% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- Black or African American0.5% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esquibel
Esquibel 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
#6,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,187
+479 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Up 97 places
2020
#6,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,795
-392 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,629 | 4,708 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,532 | 5,187 | 1.76 | +479 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 97 places |
| 2020 | #6,756 | 4,795 | 1.60 | -392 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 224 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 Esquibel 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 | #6,532 | #6,756 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,187 | 4,795 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.60 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esquibel bearers went from 5,187 to 4,795 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 224 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,532 to #6,756.
FAQ
Esquibel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esquibel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,499 living Americans carry the surname Esquibel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,330 residents.
How common is Esquibel?
Esquibel ranks #6,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,795 people with the surname Esquibel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Esquibel.
Has Esquibel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esquibel went from 5,187 recorded bearers to 4,795. That is a decrease of 392 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,532 to #6,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Esquibel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esquibel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (12.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%). 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 Esquibel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (3,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esquibel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.6%), White (12.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.9%). 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 Esquibel (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 Esquibel mean?
A Basque toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Eskibel in Navarre, 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 Esquibel (1.60 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 Esquibel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.