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

Guadalajara, 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 Guadalajara surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guadalajara in America

Guadalajara is the 69392nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guadalajara surname appeared 283 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 Guadalajara.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guadalajara 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 Guadalajara

The surname Guadalajara originates from Spain, specifically from the city of Guadalajara in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The name is believed to have derived from the Arabic words "wadi" meaning valley and "al-jarah" meaning stones, referring to the rocky terrain of the area.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Guadalajara can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1235, a document from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla mentions a certain "Gonzalo de Guadalajara" as a witness to a legal transaction.

During the Reconquista, the name Guadalajara became associated with the conquest of the city by the Christian forces led by King Alfonso VII in 1153. The city's strategic location and its role in the conflict against the Moors contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname by families who participated in the battles or settled in the region.

One notable figure bearing the surname Guadalajara was Alonso de Guadalajara, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He played a crucial role in the establishment of Spanish settlements in the new territories and is credited with founding the city of Guadalajara in Mexico, which was named after his birthplace in Spain.

In the 16th century, the surname Guadalajara gained prominence in the artistic and literary circles of Spain. Diego de Guadalajara y Xavier (1573-1638) was a renowned Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits, while Juan de Guadalajara y Javier (1587-1658) was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works were widely acclaimed during the Spanish Golden Age.

Another prominent figure with the surname Guadalajara was Mariano Guadalajara y Cuervo (1819-1892), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico for a brief period in 1858. He played a significant role in the Reform War and the struggle against the French intervention in Mexico.

Over the centuries, the surname Guadalajara has spread across various regions of Spain and Latin America, with many individuals bearing this name making significant contributions to various fields, including politics, arts, and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guadalajara

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!