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

Garfías, 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 Garfías surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garfías in America

Garfías is the 15322nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garfías surname appeared 1,915 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Garfías.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garfías to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Garfías

The surname Garfias originated in Spain and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "garfia," which means "claw" or "talon," referring to the talons of birds of prey. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked with falcons or other raptors, perhaps in falconry or hunting.

The earliest known records of the Garfias surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, including municipal archives and parish registers from various regions of Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile and Andalusia. One notable early reference is in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which mentions individuals with the surname Garfias among the participants in royal hunting expeditions.

In the 15th century, the Garfias family gained prominence in the city of Seville, where they were involved in trade and commerce. One prominent member of the family during this period was Juan de Garfias, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Alonso de Garfias, a 16th-century navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Americas and the Pacific Ocean.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Garfias surname spread to various regions of the Americas, particularly Mexico, where it can be found in historical records from the 16th century onwards. One notable individual was Fray Juan de Garfias, a Franciscan friar who was born in Spain in the late 16th century and played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in New Spain (present-day Mexico) during the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Garfias surname appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with several individuals bearing this name being tried and persecuted for alleged heretical beliefs or practices. One such case was that of Tomás de Garfias, a merchant from Seville who was accused of Judaizing and sentenced by the Inquisition in the 1720s.

Other notable individuals with the Garfias surname include Francisco de Garfias, a 17th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works, and Joaquín Garfias, a 19th-century Mexican politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Benito Juárez.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garfías

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

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 Garfías 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Garfías has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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