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

Garcés, 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 Garcés surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garcés in America

Garcés is the 5421st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garcés surname appeared 6,420 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Garcés.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garcés 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.

The history of the last name Garcés

The surname Garces is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name "García," which ultimately traces its roots back to the ancient Germanic name "Warderic." This name is composed of the elements "warda" meaning "guard" and "ric" meaning "power" or "ruler." The name Garces emerged as a patronymic form, indicating "son of García."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Garces can be found in the Catalan region of Spain, dating back to the 11th century. Historical records from this period, such as the Cartulary of Sant Cugat del Vallès, mention individuals bearing the name Garces.

During the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest over Muslim-ruled territories in the Iberian Peninsula, the Garces family played a significant role. One notable figure was Pedro Garcés de Añón, a 13th-century nobleman and military leader who participated in the conquest of Valencia.

In the 15th century, the Garces name gained prominence with the explorer Juan Garcés, who led expeditions to the Americas. He was one of the first Europeans to explore the Colorado River region, now part of the southwestern United States.

Another notable figure was Blasco Núñez Vela, a Spanish colonial administrator born in Garcés in 1490. He served as the first Viceroy of Peru from 1544 to 1546 and was involved in conflicts with the Spanish conquistadors in the region.

In the realm of literature, Francisco Garcés de Velasco (1585-1647) was a Spanish poet and playwright who contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish literature. His works, such as "La Gigantomaquia" and "Traducción poética," were highly regarded during his time.

Moving forward in history, Fray Francisco Tomás Hermenegildo Garcés (1738-1781) was a Spanish Franciscan missionary who explored the southwestern United States and established missions in present-day Arizona and California.

The Garces surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Garcés de la Sierra in Andalusia and Garcés de Benilloba in Valencia. These place names likely derived from individuals or families bearing the Garces surname, reflecting their historical presence in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garcés

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

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 Garcés was:

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 Garcés has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Garcés was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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