2000
#3,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.76
Uncommon Last name
Garay
Derived from a Basque topographical name meaning "above the water," likely referring to a high ground near a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,210 Americans carry the last name Garay. That puts it at #2,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,145 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garay 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
16K
1 in 21,145
Census rank
#2,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,136 bearers of the surname Garay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garay, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garay
The surname Garay is of Spanish and Basque origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word 'gara,' meaning 'high' or 'elevated,' and may have originally referred to someone living in a high or elevated location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garay can be found in the famous Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documents the history and traditions of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. The manuscript mentions a nobleman named Gonzalo Garay, who lived in the region of Galicia in the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name Garay was associated with the town of Garay, located in the province of Álava in the Basque Country. This town's name is thought to have originated from the Basque word 'gara,' further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its potential Basque roots.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Garay include Juan de Garay (1528-1583), a Spanish conquistador and founder of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1580. Another prominent figure was Blasco Núñez de Garay (c. 1490-1528), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led expeditions to the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the literary realm, Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-1695), a renowned Mexican poet and scholar of the Baroque period, was born to parents with the surname Garay. Her full name at birth was Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, with Garay being her mother's maiden name.
The name Garay can also be found in historical records from the Basque Country, such as the Fueros de Vizcaya, a compilation of laws and customs from the medieval period. Several individuals with the surname Garay are mentioned in these documents, reflecting the name's long-standing presence in the region.
Throughout its history, the surname Garay has undergone various spellings and variations, including Garray, Garai, and Garaia, among others. These variations often reflect regional dialects and linguistic influences within the Spanish-speaking world and the Basque Country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garay
Among Census respondents with the surname Garay, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Garay 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 Garay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 12,719
- White7.6% · 1,068
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 174
- Black or African American0.6% · 89
- Two or more races0.5% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garay
Garay 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
#2,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,393
+4,251 bearers (+41.9%)
Per 100,000 4.88
Rank movement Up 721 places
2020
#2,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,136
-257 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.73
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,236 | 10,142 | 3.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,515 | 14,393 | 4.88 | +4,251 bearers (+41.9%) | Up 721 places |
| 2020 | #2,491 | 14,136 | 4.73 | -257 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 24 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 Garay 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 | #2,515 | #2,491 | 1.0% |
| Count | 14,393 | 14,136 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.88 | 4.73 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garay bearers went from 14,393 to 14,136 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,515 to #2,491.
FAQ
Garay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garay?
Name Census estimates that about 16,210 living Americans carry the surname Garay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,145 residents.
How common is Garay?
Garay ranks #2,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,136 people with the surname Garay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,210), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Garay.
Has Garay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garay went from 14,393 recorded bearers to 14,136. That is a decrease of 257 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,515 to #2,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Garay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garay, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Garay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (12,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.0%), White (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Garay (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 Garay mean?
Derived from a Basque topographical name meaning "above the water," likely referring to a high ground near a river. 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 Garay (4.73 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 Americans have the surname Garay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.