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

Gonzales, 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 Gonzales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gonzales in America

Gonzales is the 123064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gonzales surname appeared 140 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 Gonzales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gonzales 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 Gonzales

The surname Gozales originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish personal name Gonzalo, which itself comes from the Germanic name Gundisalvus, meaning "battle warrior." The name was brought to Spain by the Visigoths, a Germanic people who ruled the region from the 5th to the 8th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gozales can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval documents from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in the province of La Rioja, Spain. In this document, dating back to the 10th century, a certain "Gundisalvus" is mentioned as a landowner in the region.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the form "Gonzalvez" in the Libro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners in the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions several individuals with this surname, indicating that the name had become established among the nobility and landowners of the time.

Over the centuries, the name Gozales has been associated with several notable figures. One of the earliest was Pedro González de Mendoza (1428-1495), a Spanish cardinal and statesman who served as a diplomat and advisor to the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Another notable bearer of the name was Gaspar González de Espinosa (1510-1573), a Spanish painter and one of the leading artists of the Renaissance in Aragon. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Spain.

In the 17th century, Juan González de Mendoza (1545-1618) was a Spanish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history and culture of China, where he spent several years as a missionary.

María González de Pucheta (1668-1723) was a Spanish mystic and writer who is known for her spiritual writings and her work with the poor and sick in Madrid.

Lastly, María Antonia González de Agüero (1756-1836) was a Spanish businesswoman and philanthropist who amassed a significant fortune through her investments and used her wealth to fund various charitable endeavors in her hometown of Seville.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gonzales

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

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

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

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