2000
#8,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Gasca
Basque occupational surname referring to a person who made and repaired farming tools and implements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,322 Americans carry the last name Gasca. That puts it at #6,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,403 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gasca 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
5.3K
1 in 64,403
Census rank
#6,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,641 bearers of the surname Gasca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gasca
The surname Gasca has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "gascón," which refers to a person from the historical region of Gascony, located in southwestern France. Alternatively, some sources suggest it may have stemmed from the Latin word "cus," meaning "watchful" or "vigilant."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gasca can be found in the Archivo General de Indias, a Spanish archival institution housing documents related to the Spanish Empire in the Americas. The records mention a certain Pedro de la Gasca, who served as the first Spanish viceroy of Peru from 1546 to 1550.
During the 16th century, another notable figure bearing the surname Gasca was Martín de la Gasca, a Spanish military officer and diplomat who played a crucial role in resolving the civil war in Peru between the Spanish conquistadors and the followers of Gonzalo Pizarro.
In the 17th century, a man named Juan Gasca was a prominent Spanish painter and engraver, known for his religious artworks and portraits. He was active in Madrid during the latter half of the century.
Moving into the 18th century, a certain Pedro Gasca y Figueroa was a Spanish military officer who served as the governor of Havana, Cuba, from 1777 to 1782.
In the 19th century, Pedro Gasca y Espinosa was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Minister of the Interior during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
While the surname Gasca has Spanish roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, where it is particularly prevalent in countries like Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, likely due to the Spanish colonial influence in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gasca
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gasca 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 Gasca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.0% · 4,316
- White6.0% · 279
- Two or more races0.4% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gasca
Gasca 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
#6,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,854
+1,441 bearers (+42.2%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Up 1,922 places
2020
#6,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,641
-213 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,835 | 3,413 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,913 | 4,854 | 1.65 | +1,441 bearers (+42.2%) | Up 1,922 places |
| 2020 | #6,977 | 4,641 | 1.55 | -213 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 64 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 Gasca 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 | #6,913 | #6,977 | -0.9% |
| Count | 4,854 | 4,641 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.55 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gasca bearers went from 4,854 to 4,641 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,913 to #6,977.
FAQ
Gasca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gasca?
Name Census estimates that about 5,322 living Americans carry the surname Gasca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,403 residents.
How common is Gasca?
Gasca ranks #6,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,641 people with the surname Gasca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gasca.
Has Gasca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gasca went from 4,854 recorded bearers to 4,641. That is a decrease of 213 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,913 to #6,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Gasca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Gasca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (4,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gasca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.0%), White (6.0%), Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Gasca (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 Gasca mean?
Basque occupational surname referring to a person who made and repaired farming tools and implements. 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 Gasca (1.55 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 last name Gasca?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Gasca, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.