2000
#10,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Gardea
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a pen or enclosure for livestock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,134 Americans carry the last name Gardea. That puts it at #8,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,911 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gardea 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
4.1K
1 in 82,911
Census rank
#8,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,605 bearers of the surname Gardea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardea, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gardea
The surname GARDEA is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have evolved from the Spanish word "guarda," which means "guard" or "watchman," suggesting that the name may have been associated with individuals employed as guards or sentries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GARDEA surname can be found in the historical archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, a medieval kingdom that encompassed parts of modern-day Spain and France. In the 13th century, a document mentions a certain "Pedro de Gardea" as a resident of the city of Zaragoza.
The GARDEA name also appears in several ancient manuscripts and chronicles from the region of Navarre, a former kingdom that now forms a part of northern Spain and southern France. One notable example is the "Crónica de los Reyes de Navarra," a chronicle of the kings of Navarre, which references a "Juan de Gardea" who served as a soldier in the royal army during the 15th century.
As the GARDEA surname spread across Spain, it underwent various spelling variations, including Gardea, Gardega, and Gardiga. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
Among the notable individuals bearing the GARDEA surname throughout history are:
1. Juan de Gardea (c. 1430 - 1492), a Spanish soldier and military commander who fought in the Reconquista, the prolonged campaign to expel the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.
2. Martín de Gardea (c. 1520 - 1590), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the colonization of the Americas and the exploration of the Pacific Northwest region.
3. Isabel de Gardea (c. 1580 - 1650), a Spanish noblewoman and philanthropist known for her charitable works and support of religious institutions in Seville.
4. Francisco de Gardea (1635 - 1712), a Spanish architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings and infrastructure projects in Madrid and Andalusia.
5. Andrés de Gardea (1770 - 1848), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1820 to 1823.
The GARDEA surname has also been associated with various place names across Spain, such as Gardea de Abajo and Gardea de Arriba, which were small villages or hamlets located in the Basque Country region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gardea
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardea, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gardea 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 Gardea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 3,317
- White6.0% · 215
- Black or African American0.8% · 28
- Two or more races0.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gardea
Gardea 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
#8,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,781
+850 bearers (+29.0%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 1,431 places
2020
#8,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,605
-176 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,119 | 2,931 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,688 | 3,781 | 1.28 | +850 bearers (+29.0%) | Up 1,431 places |
| 2020 | #8,732 | 3,605 | 1.21 | -176 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 44 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 Gardea 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 | #8,688 | #8,732 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,781 | 3,605 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.21 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gardea bearers went from 3,781 to 3,605 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,688 to #8,732.
FAQ
Gardea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gardea?
Name Census estimates that about 4,134 living Americans carry the surname Gardea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,911 residents.
How common is Gardea?
Gardea ranks #8,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,605 people with the surname Gardea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Gardea.
Has Gardea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gardea went from 3,781 recorded bearers to 3,605. That is a decrease of 176 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,688 to #8,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Gardea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardea, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Gardea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,317 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gardea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (6.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Gardea (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 Gardea mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a pen or enclosure for livestock." 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 Gardea (1.21 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 have the surname Gardea?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.