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

García, 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 García surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of García in America

García is the 159712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The García surname appeared 101 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 García.

The history of the last name García

The surname GARCIAA has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the ancient Spanish name "Garcia," which itself is a combination of the Basque words "gartz" meaning "bear" and "cia" meaning "belonging to." This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname or title given to individuals who displayed bear-like characteristics, such as strength or courage.

The earliest recorded instances of the GARCIAA surname can be traced back to the 11th and 12th centuries in various regions of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia. It is commonly found in historical documents and records from this time period, often associated with noble families and individuals of prominence.

One notable historical figure bearing the GARCIAA surname was Rodrigo Garcia, a 13th-century Spanish military leader and nobleman who played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. Another prominent individual was Pedro Garcia de Herrera, a 15th-century Spanish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of navigation and cartography.

As the name spread throughout Spain and its territories, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, including Garcia, Garzia, and Garsía. Some of these variants can be found in historical records from different regions, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the Spanish-speaking world.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the GARCIAA surname also gained prominence in the Americas as Spanish conquistadors and settlers brought the name to the New World. One notable figure from this era was Hernán García Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led expeditions in present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States in the early 1600s.

As the centuries progressed, the GARCIAA surname continued to be widely distributed across Spain, Latin America, and other Spanish-speaking regions, with various branches and lineages emerging. Notable individuals with this surname include the 19th-century Colombian writer and politician José María García Herreros, the 20th-century Mexican artist Saturnino García, and the contemporary Spanish tennis player Carolina García.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name García

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

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 García 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.

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

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

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