Garas last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Garas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Garas.

Meaning of Garas

A surname of Greek origin meaning "plentiful, abundant".

Garas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Garas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garas in America

Garas is the 82613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garas surname appeared 228 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Garas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank8261394227-13.14%
Count22818023.53%
Proportion per 100k0.080.0713.33%

The history of the last name Garas

The surname Garas has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages, likely in the 9th or 10th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Basque word "gara," which means "peak" or "summit," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or on a mountain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Garas surname can be found in the "Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla," a medieval manuscript dating back to the 10th century. This document mentions a certain "Didaco Garas," who was likely a landowner or nobleman in the region of La Rioja, Spain.

In the 13th century, there are records of a family named Garas residing in the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, located in the Basque Country of northern Spain. This family may have been among the earliest bearers of the Garas surname and played a role in the development of the local community.

During the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the Garas surname was Juan Garas, who was born in the town of Logroño in 1421. He was a renowned architect and master builder, responsible for the construction of several churches and monasteries in the region, including the Monasterio de Santa María de la Estrella.

In the 16th century, Pedro Garas (1506-1578) was a prominent Spanish scholar and theologian. He served as a professor at the University of Salamanca and authored several influential works on philosophy and theology.

Another notable individual was María Garas (1627-1702), who was a Basque poet and playwright. She is remembered for her contributions to the preservation of the Basque language and culture through her literary works.

Over the centuries, the Garas surname has been spelled in various ways, including Garaz, Garás, and Garash, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where it was used.

While the Garas surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by emigrants and descendants of the original bearers. However, its rich history and Basque origins remain firmly rooted in the Iberian Peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Garas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Garas was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only87.72%200
Non-Hispanic Black Only3.51%8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.63%6
Hispanic Origin4.39%10

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Garas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White87.72%83.33%5.13%
Black3.51%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%2.78%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races2.63%7.78%-98.94%
Hispanic4.39%5.00%-12.99%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Garas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Garas, please contact us.

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