2000
#13,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Gimenez
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Gimeno, likely referring to someone from Ximeno or a descendant of Gimeno.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,412 Americans carry the last name Gimenez. That puts it at #10,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,456 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gimenez 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gimenez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,456
Census rank
#10,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,975 bearers of the surname Gimenez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gimenez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.4%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gimenez
The surname Gimenez is of Spanish and Catalan origin. It is derived from the personal name Jimeno, which is a medieval Spanish form of the Germanic name Semeno. The name Semeno itself is derived from the Latin root "Simeonis," meaning "son of Simon."
Gimenez was initially concentrated in the regions of Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia in eastern Spain. The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 12th century, with mentions in various medieval Spanish documents and records.
One notable historical reference to the name Gimenez is found in the "Libro de las Behetrías" (Book of Territorial Jurisdictions), a 14th-century Castilian manuscript that documented land ownership and territorial divisions in medieval Spain. The document includes several references to individuals with the surname Gimenez.
In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Rodrigo Gimenez de Rada (c. 1170-1247), who served as the Archbishop of Toledo and was a prominent historian and writer of his time. He is known for his work "De Rebus Hispaniae" (On the Affairs of Spain), a chronicle of Spanish history.
Another notable figure was Pedro Gimenez de Castrejon (c. 1510-1574), a Spanish soldier and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro. He was awarded land grants and became a prominent figure in the colonial administration of Peru.
During the 16th century, the Gimenez family had a significant presence in the region of Aragon. One notable member was Juan Gimenez de Urrea (c. 1520-1590), a Spanish nobleman and poet who served as the Viceroy of Aragon and Catalonia.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was Diego Gimenez de Vargas (c. 1589-1663), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico and later as the Governor of Chile.
The surname Gimenez has also been associated with several place names in Spain, such as Gimenells, a municipality in the province of Lleida, and Jimena de la Frontera, a town in the province of Cádiz. These place names likely derived from the personal name Jimeno or Ximeno, which is related to the surname Gimenez.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gimenez
Among Census respondents with the surname Gimenez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.4%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gimenez 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 Gimenez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.4% · 2,363
- White13.2% · 392
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.0% · 178
- Two or more races0.9% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gimenez
Gimenez 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
#10,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,975
+892 bearers (+42.8%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 2,676 places
2020
#10,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,975
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 431 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,407 | 2,083 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,731 | 2,975 | 1.01 | +892 bearers (+42.8%) | Up 2,676 places |
| 2020 | #10,300 | 2,975 | 1.00 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 431 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 Gimenez 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 | #10,731 | #10,300 | 4.0% |
| Count | 2,975 | 2,975 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 1.00 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gimenez bearers went from 2,975 to 2,975 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 431 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,731 to #10,300.
FAQ
Gimenez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gimenez?
Name Census estimates that about 3,412 living Americans carry the surname Gimenez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,456 residents.
How common is Gimenez?
Gimenez ranks #10,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,975 people with the surname Gimenez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,412), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Gimenez.
Has Gimenez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gimenez went from 2,975 recorded bearers to 2,975. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,731 to #10,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Gimenez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gimenez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.4%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%). 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 Gimenez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (2,363 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gimenez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.4%), White (13.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.0%). 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 Gimenez (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 Gimenez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Gimeno, likely referring to someone from Ximeno or a descendant of Gimeno. 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 Gimenez (1.00 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 are called Gimenez?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gimenez? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.