2000
#18,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,364
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Guaman
A surname of Quechua origin meaning "falcon" or "sparrow hawk."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,718 Americans carry the last name Guaman. That puts it at #7,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,648 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guaman 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
4.7K
1 in 72,648
Census rank
#7,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,114 bearers of the surname Guaman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guaman, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guaman
The surname GUAMAN is believed to have originated from the Quechua language, spoken by the indigenous people of the Andes mountains in South America, particularly in present-day Peru and Ecuador. The name is thought to have emerged during the time of the Inca Empire, which flourished from the 13th to the 16th century.
One of the earliest known records of the name GUAMAN can be found in the chronicles of Spanish conquistadors who arrived in the region during the 16th century. These accounts often mention individuals with this surname, indicating that it was already in use among the local population at the time of the Spanish conquest.
The name GUAMAN is believed to derive from the Quechua word "guaman," which means "falcon" or "hawk." This suggests that the name may have originally been used to identify individuals or families associated with falconry or those who lived in areas where these birds were prevalent.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the surname GUAMAN was Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, a Quechua nobleman and chronicler who wrote a extensive manuscript titled "El Primer Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno" (The First New Chronicle and Good Government). This valuable work provides insights into the culture, history, and daily life of the indigenous people during the early colonial period.
Another prominent individual with the GUAMAN surname was Juan de Santa Cruz Guaman Poma, a Quechua nobleman and writer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his literary work "Carta a una Noble Señora" (Letter to a Noble Lady), which criticized the mistreatment of indigenous people by Spanish colonizers.
In the 18th century, José Guaman Poma de Ayala, a descendant of Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, was a notable figure who fought for the rights and preservation of indigenous cultures in the Andean region.
Throughout the centuries, the GUAMAN surname has also been associated with various place names in Peru and Ecuador, such as Guamán (a town in the Amazonas region of Peru) and Guamán (a parish in the Chimborazo province of Ecuador), further reinforcing its connection to the Quechua language and culture.
While the GUAMAN surname has its roots in the Andes region, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the rich history and heritage of the indigenous peoples of South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guaman
Among Census respondents with the surname Guaman, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Guaman 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 Guaman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.0% · 3,991
- White2.2% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guaman
Guaman 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
#9,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,439
+2,075 bearers (+152.1%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 9,165 places
2020
#7,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,114
+675 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 1,714 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,626 | 1,364 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,461 | 3,439 | 1.17 | +2,075 bearers (+152.1%) | Up 9,165 places |
| 2020 | #7,747 | 4,114 | 1.38 | +675 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 1,714 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 Guaman 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 | #9,461 | #7,747 | 18.1% |
| Count | 3,439 | 4,114 | 19.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.38 | 17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guaman bearers went from 3,439 to 4,114 (+19.6% change). The surname moved up 1,714 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,461 to #7,747.
FAQ
Guaman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guaman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,718 living Americans carry the surname Guaman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,648 residents.
How common is Guaman?
Guaman ranks #7,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,114 people with the surname Guaman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Guaman.
Has Guaman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guaman went from 3,439 recorded bearers to 4,114. That is an increase of 675 (+19.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,461 to #7,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Guaman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guaman, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Guaman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (3,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guaman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.0%), White (2.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Guaman (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 Guaman mean?
A surname of Quechua origin meaning "falcon" or "sparrow hawk." 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 Guaman (1.38 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 are called Guaman?
Find out how many people have the last name Guaman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.