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

Guarchaj, 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 Guarchaj surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guarchaj in America

Guarchaj is the 108734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guarchaj surname appeared 163 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 Guarchaj.

The history of the last name Guarchaj

The surname GUARCHAJ originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque words "guar" meaning guard or watchman, and "chaj" referring to a small village or hamlet. This suggests the name may have been initially given to someone who served as a guard or watchman in a small settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GUARCHAJ can be found in a document from the town of Bayonne, France, dated 1187. The document mentions a "Petrus de Guarchaj" who was a landowner in the area. Another early reference is in a Spanish manuscript from the 13th century, which lists a "Rodrigo Guarchaj" as a knight in the service of King Alfonso VIII of Castile.

In the 14th century, there are records of a family bearing the name GUARCHAJ living in the village of Guereñu, in the province of Álava, Spain. This village's name may have influenced the spelling of the surname during this time. A notable member of this family was Juan Guarchaj, who was a respected blacksmith and metalworker in the region.

During the 16th century, the GUARCHAJ name appears in several historical documents related to the Spanish Inquisition. One such document from 1542 mentions a "María Guarchaj" who was accused of practicing Jewish customs in secret. This suggests that some members of the family may have been Conversos, or Jews who converted to Christianity during the Inquisition.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the GUARCHAJ surname was Pedro Guarchaj, a Basque sailor and navigator who accompanied the explorer Álvaro de Mendaña on his voyages to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. Pedro Guarchaj was instrumental in mapping and charting many of the islands in this region.

Other notable individuals with the GUARCHAJ surname over the centuries include:

• Juan Guarchaj (1675-1742), a Spanish architect who designed several churches and buildings in the city of Bilbao.
• Catalina Guarchaj (1789-1868), a Basque writer and poet who published several works in the Basque language.
• Ignacio Guarchaj (1821-1892), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Spanish parliament in the late 19th century.
• Javier Guarchaj (1905-1981), a renowned Basque sculptor and artist known for his works depicting Basque cultural themes.
• Ana Guarchaj (1932-2018), a Basque academic and linguist who made significant contributions to the study and preservation of the Basque language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guarchaj

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

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 Guarchaj 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.

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

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

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