2000
#16,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Gatica
Catalan habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "land of cats" or "place of cats."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,327 Americans carry the last name Gatica. That puts it at #10,542 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gatica 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
3.3K
1 in 103,022
Census rank
#10,542
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,901 bearers of the surname Gatica in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10542nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gatica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gatica
The surname GATICA is of Spanish origin, originating from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "gatika," which means "place of wolves" or "wolf den." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a wolf den or in an area with a significant wolf population.
One of the earliest known references to the surname GATICA can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias de Castilla, a 14th-century census document from the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions individuals with the surname GATICA residing in various villages and towns within the Basque region.
In the 15th century, records show a nobleman named Juan de GATICA who served as a royal adviser to King Juan II of Aragon. He played a crucial role in mediating disputes between the king and his nobles during a period of political unrest.
During the 16th century, the surname GATICA appeared in several Spanish colonial records from the Americas. One notable individual was Diego de GATICA, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born in Vitoria, Spain, in 1495 and died in Mexico City in 1562.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname GATICA was Padre Andrés de GATICA, a Jesuit priest and missionary who worked extensively in the Americas. He was born in Bilbao, Spain, in 1615 and died in Lima, Peru, in 1688. Padre GATICA is known for his efforts in evangelizing indigenous communities and establishing educational institutions in various South American regions.
Another notable individual with the surname GATICA was José María GATICA, a Chilean military leader and politician born in Santiago, Chile, in 1790. He played a crucial role in the Chilean War of Independence against Spain and later served as the Minister of War and Navy under President Francisco Antonio Pinto in the 1830s.
Throughout history, the surname GATICA has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Gatika (a town in Basque Country, Spain), Gatica (a municipality in Colombia), and Gaticá (a village in Argentina). These place names likely derived from the original Basque word "gatika" and were influenced by the presence of individuals with the surname GATICA in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gatica
Among Census respondents with the surname Gatica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gatica 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 Gatica surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.5% · 2,654
- White6.5% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 32
- Two or more races0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gatica
Gatica 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
#11,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,678
+1,100 bearers (+69.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 4,990 places
2020
#10,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,901
+223 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 1,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,694 | 1,578 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,704 | 2,678 | 0.91 | +1,100 bearers (+69.7%) | Up 4,990 places |
| 2020 | #10,542 | 2,901 | 0.97 | +223 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 1,162 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 Gatica 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 | #11,704 | #10,542 | 9.9% |
| Count | 2,678 | 2,901 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.97 | 6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gatica bearers went from 2,678 to 2,901 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 1,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,704 to #10,542.
FAQ
Gatica surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gatica?
Name Census estimates that about 3,327 living Americans carry the surname Gatica. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,022 residents.
How common is Gatica?
Gatica ranks #10,542 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,901 people with the surname Gatica. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Gatica.
Has Gatica become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gatica went from 2,678 recorded bearers to 2,901. That is an increase of 223 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,704 to #10,542.
What does the Census say about the background of Gatica?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gatica, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Gatica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gatica appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.5%), White (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Gatica (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 Gatica mean?
Catalan habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "land of cats" or "place of cats." 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 Gatica (0.97 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 Gatica?
See how many people have the last name Gatica on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.