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

Gomez, 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 Gomez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gomez in America

Gomez is the 51st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gomez surname appeared 365,655 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 124 people would have the surname Gomez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gomez 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 Gomez

The surname Gomez originated in Spain and has its roots in the Spanish and Portuguese languages. It is derived from the medieval Spanish given name "Gomes," which in turn comes from the ancient Germanic name "Guminus" or "Gominus," meaning "man" or "person."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gomez can be traced back to the 10th century in the regions of Galicia and Asturias in northwestern Spain. The name appears in medieval documents and records from that time period, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Gomes or Gomiz.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Count Gomez Diaz, a prominent figure in the 10th century who served as the governor of Saldaña and Carrión. He is mentioned in the Codex of Roda, an important medieval manuscript from the 11th century.

During the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, the surname Gomez became associated with noble and influential families in Spain. One notable example is Gonzalo Gómez de Cervantes, a 15th-century Spanish military leader and nobleman who served under King Juan II of Castile.

In the 16th century, the Gomez surname gained further prominence with the explorer and conquistador Hernán Gómez de Salazar, who participated in the Spanish conquest of Mexico and served as a captain under Hernán Cortés.

Another historically significant figure with the surname Gomez was Juan Gómez de Mora, a renowned Spanish architect and sculptor from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Madrid, including parts of the Royal Alcázar and the Plaza Mayor.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Gomez spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the Philippines. One notable bearer of the name was José Gómez Ortega, a Spanish botanist and explorer who lived in the 18th century and contributed to the study of flora in Mexico and Cuba.

Over time, the surname Gomez has evolved and diversified, with various spelling variations emerging in different regions and languages. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic roots and the medieval Spanish context, where it was borne by individuals of nobility and distinction.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gomez

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

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

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

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