Gamarra
A surname of Spanish origin possibly referring to a place name or someone from the region of Gamarra.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,542 Americans carry the last name Gamarra. That puts it at #20,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 222,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamarra surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
1.5K
1 in 222,279
Census rank
#20,263
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,313 bearers of the surname Gamarra in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gamarra
The surname Gamarra originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Basque word "gamarra," which means "high ground" or "summit." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who lived near a prominent hill or mountain.
The earliest known record of the Gamarra surname dates back to the 12th century, when a person named Lope de Gamarra was mentioned in a document from the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, located in the Basque province of Álava. During this period, the Basque regions were heavily influenced by the Kingdom of Navarre, and many Basque surnames emerged as a way to identify families and establish lineages.
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, the Gamarra name appeared in various historical records from the Basque Country, including church registries and land ownership documents. One notable figure from this era was Juan Martínez de Gamarra (c. 1300-1367), a prominent Basque nobleman who served as a military commander under King Alfonso XI of Castile.
As the Basque people migrated and settled in different parts of Spain and Latin America during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Gamarra surname spread to other regions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside the Basque Country was Alonso de Gamarra (c. 1480-1550), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the Gamarra surname was José Félix de Gamarra (1734-1808), a Spanish military officer and colonial governor who served in various territories of Spanish America, including Chile and Panama. His grandson, Agustín Gamarra (1785-1841), became a celebrated military leader and served as the first Constitutional President of Peru from 1829 to 1833.
Another notable individual with the Gamarra surname was Evaristo Gómez Sánchez Gamarra (1808-1874), a Spanish-born military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars and later became a general in the Mexican army during the Second Mexican Empire under Maximilian I.
While the Gamarra surname has its roots in the Basque region, it has since spread globally due to migration and historical events, with bearers of the name found in various countries, particularly in Spain, Latin America, and regions with significant Spanish influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamarra
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamarra bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Gamarra surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.6%
- White7.6%
- Black or African American0.6%
- Unknown or suppressed0.1%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Gamarra surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #26,614 | #20,263 | 23.9% |
| Count | 861 | 1,313 | 52.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.45 | 40.6% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Gamarra bearers went from 861 to 1,313 (+52.5% change). The surname moved up 6,351 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,614 to #20,263.
FAQ
Gamarra surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Gamarra?
The surname Gamarra holds position #20,263 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 1,542 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Gamarra surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.6%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.