2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Esquiuel
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "esquia" meaning "left-handed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 188 Americans carry the last name Esquiuel. That puts it at #113,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,823,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esquiuel 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
188
1 in 1,823,161
Census rank
#113,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
164
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 164 bearers of the surname Esquiuel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esquiuel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.4%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esquiuel
The surname Esquiuel has its origins in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Basque region, where the name may have derived from the words "eskua" meaning "hand" and "el" meaning "the" or "that", potentially referring to a person with a distinctive hand or occupation involving the hands.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Esquiuel is found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript detailing a hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The name is mentioned in connection with individuals from the Basque region who participated in hunting expeditions with the king.
In the 15th century, the Esquiuel surname appeared in various records and chronicles from the Kingdoms of Aragon and Navarre, suggesting the presence of families bearing this name in those regions. One notable individual was Pedro Esquiuel, a military commander who served under King Juan II of Aragon during the Catalan Civil War in the mid-15th century.
As the centuries progressed, the Esquiuel name spread to other parts of Spain and its territories. In the 16th century, records show Esquiuel families residing in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, particularly in present-day Mexico and Peru. One prominent figure was Hernán Esquiuel, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
During the 17th century, the Esquiuel surname appeared in various Spanish literature and historical accounts. A notable figure was María Esquiuel, a renowned poet and writer from Seville, who gained recognition for her poetic works published in the early 1600s.
In the 18th century, the Esquiuel name was found in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia and Andalusia. One notable individual was Francisco Esquiuel, a prominent architect who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings in Madrid during the reign of King Carlos III in the late 1700s.
As the centuries passed, the Esquiuel surname continued to spread throughout Spain and its former colonies, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging in different regions. While the name may have originated in the Basque region, it has become a part of the rich cultural tapestry of Spanish-speaking communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esquiuel
Among Census respondents with the surname Esquiuel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.4%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Esquiuel 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 Esquiuel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 4
- White1.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esquiuel
Esquiuel 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
#113,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
+46 bearers (+39.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 27,575 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 | #113,565 | 164 | 0.05 | +46 bearers (+39.0%) | Up 27,575 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 Esquiuel 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 | #113,565 | 19.5% |
| Count | 118 | 164 | 39.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 37.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esquiuel bearers went from 118 to 164 (+39.0% change). The surname moved up 27,575 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #113,565.
FAQ
Esquiuel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esquiuel?
Name Census estimates that about 188 living Americans carry the surname Esquiuel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,823,161 residents.
How common is Esquiuel?
Esquiuel ranks #113,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 164 people with the surname Esquiuel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (188), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Esquiuel.
Has Esquiuel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esquiuel went from 118 recorded bearers to 164. That is an increase of 46 (+39.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #141,140 to #113,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Esquiuel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esquiuel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.4%) and White (1.8%). 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 Esquiuel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esquiuel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.4%), White (1.8%). 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 Esquiuel (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 Esquiuel mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "esquia" meaning "left-handed." 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 Esquiuel (0.05 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 last name Esquiuel?
Find out how many people have the surname Esquiuel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.