2000
#8,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Guadalupe
A surname of Spanish origin, referring to someone from Guadalupe, a place name meaning "river of the wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,416 Americans carry the last name Guadalupe. That puts it at #6,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guadalupe 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
5.4K
1 in 63,286
Census rank
#6,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,723 bearers of the surname Guadalupe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guadalupe, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guadalupe
The surname Guadalupe originates from Spain and is derived from the Spanish phrase "río Guadalupe," which translates to "Wolf River." The name traces its roots back to the 8th century when the Iberian Peninsula was under Moorish rule.
During this period, the Arabic term "wadi" referred to a riverbed or valley, while "al-lobo" meant "the wolf." The combination of these words formed the basis for the name Guadalupe, which was initially used to identify the river that flowed through what is now the Spanish town of Guadalupe in the province of Cáceres.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Guadalupe can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript detailing the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. The text refers to the town of Guadalupe as a stopping point along the pilgrimage route.
In the 14th century, a Franciscan monastery was established in the town of Guadalupe, further cementing the name's significance in Spanish history. The monastery became a popular pilgrimage site and attracted many visitors, including notable figures such as Christopher Columbus, who reportedly prayed there before his famous voyages to the Americas.
One of the earliest individuals recorded with the surname Guadalupe was Pedro de Guadalupe (c. 1450 - c. 1520), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. Another notable figure was Juan de Guadalupe (c. 1570 - c. 1640), a Franciscan friar and historian who authored several works on the history of the Franciscan order in Mexico.
In the 17th century, Catalina de Guadalupe (c. 1615 - c. 1690) was a renowned Spanish-Mexican painter and one of the earliest known female artists in colonial Mexico. Miguel de Guadalupe (c. 1680 - c. 1750), a Spanish composer and organist, also gained recognition for his contributions to sacred music during the baroque period.
The surname Guadalupe has also been associated with several place names, particularly in Spain and Latin America. For example, the city of Guadalupe in the Mexican state of Zacatecas was named after the Spanish town, as was the city of Guadalupe in the Dominican Republic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guadalupe
Among Census respondents with the surname Guadalupe, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Guadalupe 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 Guadalupe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 4,266
- White5.2% · 244
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 98
- Black or African American1.8% · 85
- Two or more races0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guadalupe
Guadalupe appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,877
+1,173 bearers (+31.7%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Up 1,339 places
2020
#6,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,723
-154 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,231 | 3,704 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,892 | 4,877 | 1.65 | +1,173 bearers (+31.7%) | Up 1,339 places |
| 2020 | #6,856 | 4,723 | 1.58 | -154 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 36 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 Guadalupe 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 | #6,892 | #6,856 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,877 | 4,723 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.58 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guadalupe bearers went from 4,877 to 4,723 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,892 to #6,856.
FAQ
Guadalupe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guadalupe?
Name Census estimates that about 5,416 living Americans carry the surname Guadalupe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,286 residents.
How common is Guadalupe?
Guadalupe ranks #6,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,723 people with the surname Guadalupe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,416), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Guadalupe.
Has Guadalupe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guadalupe went from 4,877 recorded bearers to 4,723. That is a decrease of 154 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,892 to #6,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Guadalupe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guadalupe, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Guadalupe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (4,266 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guadalupe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Guadalupe (2000, 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 Guadalupe mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, referring to someone from Guadalupe, a place name meaning "river of the wolf." 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 Guadalupe (1.58 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 many people have the surname Guadalupe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.