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

Gonzalez, 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 Gonzalez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gonzalez in America

Gonzalez is the 153769th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gonzalez surname appeared 106 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gonzalez.

The history of the last name Gonzalez

The surname GONZALEZC originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish given name Gonzalo, which is believed to come from the Gothic name Gunþi-salwaz, meaning "battle protection" or "war protection".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GONZALEZC surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census of landholdings in the Kingdom of Castile, dated around 1352. This document mentions several individuals with the GONZALEZC surname, suggesting its widespread use in the region during that period.

The name gained prominence during the Reconquista, the period of the Iberian Peninsula's struggle to reclaim territories from the Moors. Several notable figures with the GONZALEZC surname emerged during this time, including Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1453-1515), a renowned Spanish military leader known as "El Gran Capitán" (The Great Captain).

Another historical figure of note was Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1495-1579), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the Spanish conquest of the Muisca people in present-day Colombia and founded the city of Bogotá in 1538.

The GONZALEZC surname also has a long-standing association with various place names in Spain. For instance, the town of Gonzalezc in the province of Ávila is believed to have derived its name from an individual with the GONZALEZC surname who played a significant role in its history.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the GONZALEZC surname spread to various parts of the world, including the Americas and the Philippines. Notable individuals with this surname include Pedro González de Mendoza (1487-1537), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led expeditions to the Philippines and the Moluccas Islands.

Another prominent figure was Antonio González de Balcarce (1774-1819), an Argentine military leader and statesman who played a crucial role in the Argentine War of Independence against Spanish colonial rule.

Over the centuries, the GONZALEZC surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Gonzalez, Gonzales, and Gonzaliz, reflecting regional linguistic differences and evolving orthographic conventions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gonzalez

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

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 Gonzalez 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.

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

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

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