2000
#34,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Rare Last name
Garcialopez
A Spanish compound surname combining García, meaning "bear," and López, meaning "son of Lope (wolf)."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,049 Americans carry the last name Garcialopez. That puts it at #8,898 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garcialopez 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
4.0K
1 in 84,652
Census rank
#8,898
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,531 bearers of the surname Garcialopez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8898th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garcialopez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garcialopez
The surname GARCIALOPEZ originates from Spain, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a compound surname, composed of the patronymic "Garcia" and the locative "Lopez," indicating a connection to a specific place or region.
The name "Garcia" is derived from the Germanic name "Gard," meaning "spear" or "lance," combined with the Latin suffix "-icus," indicating a person associated with or skilled in using a spear. This patronymic was widely adopted in Spain during the Visigothic and Reconquista eras.
The second component, "Lopez," is a locative surname derived from the Latin "lupus," meaning "wolf." It was initially used as a descriptive name to identify individuals living near areas associated with wolves or in regions where wolves were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GARCIALOPEZ surname can be found in the "Archivo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid," a collection of legal documents from the 15th century. This suggests that the surname was established and in use during that time period.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Diego Garcia Lopez de Salcedo (1497-1567) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who played a significant role in the conquest of Nueva Galicia (present-day western Mexico) and the exploration of the American Southwest.
Another notable individual with this surname was Alonso García López (1552-1619), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and linguist who worked extensively with indigenous communities in Mexico and authored several dictionaries and grammars of indigenous languages.
During the 17th century, Juan García López (1620-1675) was a Spanish painter known for his religious works and contributions to the Golden Age of Spanish art.
In the 18th century, José García López (1758-1819) was a Spanish military leader and colonial governor who served in various territories of the Spanish Empire, including Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Moving into the 19th century, Manuel García López (1805-1906) was a Spanish opera singer and vocal teacher renowned for his contributions to the development of the modern operatic voice and his influential treatise on vocal pedagogy.
The GARCIALOPEZ surname has been widely distributed throughout Spain and its former colonies, reflecting the country's rich history and the migration patterns of its people over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garcialopez
Among Census respondents with the surname Garcialopez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Garcialopez 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 Garcialopez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.4% · 3,438
- White2.0% · 72
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garcialopez
Garcialopez 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
#14,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,023
+1,408 bearers (+228.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 20,062 places
2020
#8,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,531
+1,508 bearers (+74.5%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 5,797 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,757 | 615 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,695 | 2,023 | 0.69 | +1,408 bearers (+228.9%) | Up 20,062 places |
| 2020 | #8,898 | 3,531 | 1.18 | +1,508 bearers (+74.5%) | Up 5,797 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 Garcialopez 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 | #14,695 | #8,898 | 39.4% |
| Count | 2,023 | 3,531 | 74.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 1.18 | 71.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garcialopez bearers went from 2,023 to 3,531 (+74.5% change). The surname moved up 5,797 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,695 to #8,898.
FAQ
Garcialopez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garcialopez?
Name Census estimates that about 4,049 living Americans carry the surname Garcialopez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,652 residents.
How common is Garcialopez?
Garcialopez ranks #8,898 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,531 people with the surname Garcialopez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Garcialopez.
Has Garcialopez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garcialopez went from 2,023 recorded bearers to 3,531. That is an increase of 1,508 (+74.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,695 to #8,898.
What does the Census say about the background of Garcialopez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garcialopez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Garcialopez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (3,438 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garcialopez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.4%), White (2.0%), Black (0.3%). 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 Garcialopez (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 Garcialopez mean?
A Spanish compound surname combining García, meaning "bear," and López, meaning "son of Lope (wolf)." 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 Garcialopez (1.18 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 are called Garcialopez?
You can see how common the surname Garcialopez is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.