2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Goyeneche
A Basque surname possibly derived from the word "goia" meaning "top" or "upper" and "etxe" meaning "house."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Goyeneche. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goyeneche 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Goyeneche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goyeneche, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (42.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goyeneche
The surname Goyeneche originates from the Basque Country, a region spanning parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century.
The name Goyeneche is derived from the Basque words "goi" meaning "high" or "upper," and "enea" meaning "house" or "homestead." This suggests that the name likely referred to a family or lineage that lived in a house or settlement located at a higher elevation or in an elevated area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Goyeneche can be found in the Becerro Galicano de Villas de Vizcaya, a 14th-century manuscript documenting the noble families and lineages of the region. This document mentions a certain Juan Goyeneche, who lived in the town of Durango in the province of Biscay.
In the 16th century, records show a Goyeneche family residing in the town of Lesaka, in the province of Navarre. A notable member of this family was Juan de Goyeneche (1565-1649), a wealthy merchant and financier who served as a financial advisor to King Philip IV of Spain.
During the 17th century, another prominent individual bearing the Goyeneche surname was José de Goyeneche (1628-1705), a military commander and viceroy of New Spain (modern-day Mexico) from 1666 to 1673. He played a crucial role in suppressing several indigenous uprisings and defending the Spanish colonies from foreign threats.
In the 18th century, Juan de Goyeneche y Gastón (1656-1735) was a Spanish nobleman and diplomat who served as the Spanish ambassador to the Court of St. James's in London from 1713 to 1717.
Another notable figure was Juan de Goyeneche y Balanzat (1753-1813), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of Finance under King Charles IV of Spain. He was instrumental in implementing economic reforms and played a significant role during the Napoleonic Wars.
While the Goyeneche surname has its roots in the Basque region, it has since spread to various parts of Spain and Latin America, particularly Mexico and Argentina, due to migration and colonial expansion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goyeneche
Among Census respondents with the surname Goyeneche, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (42.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Goyeneche 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 Goyeneche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino54.6% · 65
- White42.0% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goyeneche
Goyeneche appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+10 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,664 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 7,664 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 Goyeneche 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 | #150,452 | #142,788 | 5.1% |
| Count | 109 | 119 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goyeneche bearers went from 109 to 119 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 7,664 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #142,788.
FAQ
Goyeneche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goyeneche?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Goyeneche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Goyeneche?
Goyeneche ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Goyeneche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Goyeneche.
Has Goyeneche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goyeneche went from 109 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 10 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Goyeneche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goyeneche, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (42.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Goyeneche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.6% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goyeneche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (54.6%), White (42.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Goyeneche (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 Goyeneche mean?
A Basque surname possibly derived from the word "goia" meaning "top" or "upper" and "etxe" meaning "house." 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 Goyeneche (0.04 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 Goyeneche?
Want to know how many people have the last name Goyeneche? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.