2000
#14,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Garica
Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the maple tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,242 Americans carry the last name Garica. That puts it at #10,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garica 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
3.2K
1 in 105,723
Census rank
#10,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,827 bearers of the surname Garica in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garica
The surname Garica originates from Spain and its roots can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "garzo" meaning "heron" or "egret". The name was likely initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a physical resemblance to these birds or someone who lived near a place where herons were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Archivo Historico Nacional de España, where a certain Pedro Garica was mentioned in a document from Seville dated 1248. Another early reference is the 1284 Libro del Repartimiento, a record of land grants in the region of Andalusia, which lists several individuals with the surname Garica among the recipients.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the Inquisition, with Juan Garica de Soria being a prominent figure who was convicted of heresy and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1492. During the same period, a nobleman named Rodrigo Garica de Montalvo served as a diplomat and ambassador for King Ferdinand II of Aragon.
The name has also been associated with various places throughout Spain, such as the town of Garica in the province of Alicante, which likely derived its name from the surname rather than the other way around. Other place names that may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname include Garcíaz and Garcés.
Notable individuals with the surname Garica include:
1. Pedro Garica de Herrera (c. 1533-1596), a Spanish historian and translator who wrote extensively about the conquest of the Americas.
2. Andrés Garica de Céspedes (1560-1611), a Spanish painter and writer known for his works on art theory and religious themes.
3. José Garica de la Torre (1766-1838), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1835 to 1836.
4. Concepción Garica y Lecuona (1835-1927), a Cuban pianist, composer, and teacher who was one of the first significant female composers in the Americas.
5. Federico Garica Lorca (1898-1936), a renowned Spanish poet, playwright, and theater director who was a central figure in the Generation of '27 literary movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garica
Among Census respondents with the surname Garica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Garica 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 Garica surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 2,572
- White6.2% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 25
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- Two or more races0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garica
Garica 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
#13,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,200
+271 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 507 places
2020
#10,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
+627 bearers (+28.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 2,971 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,259 | 1,929 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,752 | 2,200 | 0.75 | +271 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 507 places |
| 2020 | #10,781 | 2,827 | 0.95 | +627 bearers (+28.5%) | Up 2,971 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 Garica 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 | #13,752 | #10,781 | 21.6% |
| Count | 2,200 | 2,827 | 28.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.95 | 26.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garica bearers went from 2,200 to 2,827 (+28.5% change). The surname moved up 2,971 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,752 to #10,781.
FAQ
Garica surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garica?
Name Census estimates that about 3,242 living Americans carry the surname Garica. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,723 residents.
How common is Garica?
Garica ranks #10,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,827 people with the surname Garica. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Garica.
Has Garica become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garica went from 2,200 recorded bearers to 2,827. That is an increase of 627 (+28.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,752 to #10,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Garica?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Garica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garica appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (6.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Garica (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 Garica mean?
Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the maple tree." 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 Garica (0.95 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 common is the surname Garica?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Garica, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.