2000
#98,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Garci
A Sephardic Jewish surname derived from the medieval Spanish city of Garcez.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 730 Americans carry the last name Garci. That puts it at #37,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 469,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garci 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
730
1 in 469,526
Census rank
#37,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
637
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 637 bearers of the surname Garci in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garci, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garci
The surname "GARCI" has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Basque personal name "Garcia," which itself is a combination of the Basque elements "gar" meaning "spear" and "zia" meaning "place" or "abundance." This name was particularly prominent in the northern regions of Spain, including Navarra and the Basque Country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "GARCI" can be found in the Becerro Galicano, a 13th-century cartulary from the Monasterio de San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This document mentions individuals with the surname "GARCI" holding land grants and privileges in the region.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname "GARCI" was Garci Fernández de Villodre, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. He was born around 1310 and died in 1386.
Another prominent individual with the surname "GARCI" was Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, a Spanish writer and author of the famous chivalric romance novel "Amadís de Gaula," published in 1508. He lived during the 15th century, but his exact birth and death dates are uncertain.
In the 16th century, Garci Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a Spanish historian and author, bore the surname "GARCI." He was born in 1478 in Madrid and died in 1557 in Valladolid. He is known for his chronicling of the early Spanish explorations and conquests in the Americas.
Lastly, Garci Muñoz de Toledo, a Spanish nobleman and military leader, carried the surname "GARCI" in the 15th century. He served as the Governor of Cartagena de Indias, a Spanish colony in present-day Colombia, from 1503 to 1505.
These examples demonstrate the historical presence and significance of the surname "GARCI" in various regions of Spain, particularly during the medieval and early modern periods, when it was associated with nobility, military leadership, and literary achievements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garci
Among Census respondents with the surname Garci, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Garci 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 Garci surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.8% · 553
- White9.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garci
Garci 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
#80,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 234
+64 bearers (+37.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 17,844 places
2020
#37,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 637
+403 bearers (+172.2%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 43,386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #98,770 | 170 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,926 | 234 | 0.08 | +64 bearers (+37.6%) | Up 17,844 places |
| 2020 | #37,540 | 637 | 0.21 | +403 bearers (+172.2%) | Up 43,386 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 Garci 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 | #80,926 | #37,540 | 53.6% |
| Count | 234 | 637 | 172.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.21 | 166.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garci bearers went from 234 to 637 (+172.2% change). The surname moved up 43,386 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,926 to #37,540.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Garci
FAQ
Garci surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garci?
Name Census estimates that about 730 living Americans carry the surname Garci. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 469,526 residents.
How common is Garci?
Garci ranks #37,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 637 people with the surname Garci. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (730), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Garci.
Has Garci become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garci went from 234 recorded bearers to 637. That is an increase of 403 (+172.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #80,926 to #37,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Garci?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garci, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Garci in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garci appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.8%), White (9.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Garci (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 Garci mean?
A Sephardic Jewish surname derived from the medieval Spanish city of Garcez. 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 Garci (0.21 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 people share the surname Garci?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.