2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Estima
A surname potentially derived from the Spanish word "estimar," meaning to esteem or value.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Estima. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Estima 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Estima in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Estima, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.4%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Estima
The surname Estima is believed to have originated from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin word "aestimatio," which means "to estimate" or "to value." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were involved in professions related to appraisal, valuation, or estimation.
The earliest known records of this surname can be found in medieval Spanish and Portuguese documents, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. During this period, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Estimado," "Estimador," and "Estimante," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Estima surname was Juan Estima, a Spanish merchant and trader who lived in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in several trade records from the city of Valencia, indicating his involvement in commercial activities.
In the 15th century, the Estima family gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, in southern Spain. One notable member was Isabel Estima, a landowner and philanthropist who donated a significant portion of her wealth to the construction of a local church and a hospital in the city of Seville.
During the Age of Exploration, several individuals with the surname Estima played important roles in the voyages of discovery and colonization undertaken by the Spanish and Portuguese empires. One such figure was Pedro Estima, a Portuguese navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in the late 15th century.
In the 18th century, the Estima family established a presence in the Americas, particularly in the Spanish colonies of Mexico and Peru. One notable individual from this period was Manuel Estima, a Spanish military officer who served as the governor of the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1782 to 1789.
Another prominent figure with the Estima surname was Maria Estima, a renowned Spanish artist and painter who lived in the 19th century. Her works, which often depicted scenes from everyday life and religious subjects, can be found in several museums and art galleries across Spain.
Throughout its history, the Estima surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, landowners, navigators, military officers, and artists. While its origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the global reach of Spanish and Portuguese influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Estima
Among Census respondents with the surname Estima, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.4%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Estima 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 Estima surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.4% · 80
- White23.1% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Estima
Estima 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,943 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 Estima 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 | #137,327 | #144,270 | -5.1% |
| Count | 122 | 117 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Estima bearers went from 122 to 117 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #144,270.
FAQ
Estima surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Estima?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Estima. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Estima?
Estima ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Estima. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Estima.
Has Estima become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Estima went from 122 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Estima?
Among Census respondents with the surname Estima, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.4%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Estima in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Estima appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.4%), White (23.1%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Estima (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 Estima mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Spanish word "estimar," meaning to esteem or value. 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 Estima (0.04 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 common is the surname Estima?
You can see how many people are called Estima on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.