2000
#2,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.60
Uncommon Last name
Gamboa
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Gamboa in Spain or Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,422 Americans carry the last name Gamboa. That puts it at #1,792 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamboa 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
22K
1 in 15,287
Census rank
#1,792
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,553 bearers of the surname Gamboa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1792nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%) and White (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gamboa
The surname Gamboa originates from Spain, specifically the Basque region. It is believed to have derived from the Basque words "gamo" meaning "deer" and "bao" meaning "valley" or "woods." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a valley or wooded area where deer were found.
Gamboa is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the 11th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Becerro, an old parchment manuscript from the Monastery of Valvanera in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to 1090. Here, a nobleman named Sancho Gamboa is mentioned as a vassal of King Sancho Ramirez of Aragon.
Another early reference to the Gamboa name comes from the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documents the life and miracles of St. James the Great. It mentions a certain Pedro Gamboa who was a knight and pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) in the 1130s.
In the 13th century, a branch of the Gamboa family settled in the town of Gamboa in Álava, Spain, which likely took its name from them. This place name is recorded in various medieval documents, including the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century census of landowners and vassals in the Kingdom of Castile.
One of the most famous individuals with the Gamboa surname was Juan López de Gamboa (c. 1470-1537), a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He was part of the expedition led by Hernán Cortés that resulted in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
Another notable Gamboa was Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532-1592), a Spanish explorer, navigator, and author. He participated in several expeditions to the Strait of Magellan and the Pacific Coast of South America, and wrote an important account of his travels titled "Historia de los Incas."
In the 17th century, Miguel de Gamboa y Uribarren (1592-1660) was a Spanish clergyman and writer who served as Bishop of Cuzco, Peru. He is known for his work "Nueva Crónica y Buen Gobierno," which provides valuable information about the indigenous peoples of Peru during the colonial period.
The Gamboa surname also spread to the Americas during the Spanish colonization. One example is Juan de Gamboa (c. 1530-1597), a Spanish conquistador who was one of the founders of the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1610.
In the 19th century, José María Gamboa (1801-1867) was a Mexican military officer and politician who served as interim president of Mexico for a brief period in 1858 during the War of Reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamboa
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%) and White (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamboa 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 Gamboa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.7% · 16,165
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.9% · 1,553
- White6.8% · 1,320
- Black or African American1.2% · 244
- Two or more races1.0% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gamboa
Gamboa 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
#1,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,577
+4,460 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 6.64
Rank movement Up 376 places
2020
#1,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,553
-24 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 6.54
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,205 | 15,117 | 5.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,829 | 19,577 | 6.64 | +4,460 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 376 places |
| 2020 | #1,792 | 19,553 | 6.54 | -24 bearers (-0.1%) | Up 37 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 Gamboa 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 | #1,829 | #1,792 | 2.0% |
| Count | 19,577 | 19,553 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.64 | 6.54 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gamboa bearers went from 19,577 to 19,553 (-0.1% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,829 to #1,792.
FAQ
Gamboa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gamboa?
Name Census estimates that about 22,422 living Americans carry the surname Gamboa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,287 residents.
How common is Gamboa?
Gamboa ranks #1,792 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,553 people with the surname Gamboa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Gamboa.
Has Gamboa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gamboa went from 19,577 recorded bearers to 19,553. That is a decrease of 24 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,829 to #1,792.
What does the Census say about the background of Gamboa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamboa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%) and White (6.8%). 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 Gamboa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (16,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gamboa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%), White (6.8%). 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 Gamboa (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 Gamboa mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Gamboa in Spain or Portugal. 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 Gamboa (6.54 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 Gamboa?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Gamboa is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.