2000
#6,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,004
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Garces
A Spanish surname derived from the Old French word "garçon," meaning a boy, young man, or servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,552 Americans carry the last name Garces. That puts it at #5,136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,386 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garces 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Garces with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,386
Census rank
#5,136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,586 bearers of the surname Garces in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garces, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garces
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garces
Among Census respondents with the surname Garces, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Garces 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 Garces surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.7% · 5,577
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.3% · 481
- White6.3% · 414
- Black or African American0.9% · 57
- Two or more races0.7% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garces
Garces 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
#5,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,420
+1,416 bearers (+28.3%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Up 851 places
2020
#5,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,586
+166 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Up 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,272 | 5,004 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,421 | 6,420 | 2.18 | +1,416 bearers (+28.3%) | Up 851 places |
| 2020 | #5,136 | 6,586 | 2.20 | +166 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 285 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 Garces 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 | #5,421 | #5,136 | 5.3% |
| Count | 6,420 | 6,586 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.20 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garces bearers went from 6,420 to 6,586 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,421 to #5,136.
FAQ
Garces surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garces?
Name Census estimates that about 7,552 living Americans carry the surname Garces. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,386 residents.
How common is Garces?
Garces ranks #5,136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,586 people with the surname Garces. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,552), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Garces.
Has Garces become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garces went from 6,420 recorded bearers to 6,586. That is an increase of 166 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,421 to #5,136.
What does the Census say about the background of Garces?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garces, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%) and White (6.3%). 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 Garces in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (5,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garces appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%), White (6.3%). 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 Garces (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 Garces mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Old French word "garçon," meaning a boy, young man, or servant. 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 Garces (2.20 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 Garces?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Garces at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.