2000
#17,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,488
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Guevarra
A Basque surname derived from the word "gebara," meaning "stream" or "ravine."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,142 Americans carry the last name Guevarra. That puts it at #11,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guevarra 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
3.1K
1 in 109,088
Census rank
#11,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,740 bearers of the surname Guevarra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guevarra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and White (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guevarra
The surname Guevarra originated in Spain, likely during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Basque word "gebara," which means "lime tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near or was associated with lime trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Guevarra can be found in the 14th century, when it appeared in historical documents from the region of Cantabria in northern Spain. At that time, the name was often spelled with variations such as "Guevara" or "Guebara."
The Guevarra surname gained prominence in the 15th century, when Iñigo de Guevara (1412-1463) served as a nobleman and diplomat in the court of King Juan II of Castile. He was also a renowned author and wrote the influential treatise "Relox de Príncipes" (The Dial of Princes), which offered advice on governance and leadership.
Another notable figure with the Guevarra surname was Pedro de Guevarra (1480-1563), a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés and later became one of the first settlers in the city of Mexico.
In the 17th century, Juan de Guevarra (1622-1682) was a Spanish playwright and poet. He wrote several popular comedies and was considered one of the leading dramatists of his time.
The Guevarra name also gained recognition in the 19th century with the revolutionary figure Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967). Although his surname is often spelled differently (Guevara), he is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the Cuban Revolution and a symbol of resistance against oppression.
Over the centuries, the Guevarra surname has been associated with various locations in Spain, including the towns of Guevara and Oñate in the Basque Country, as well as the city of Seville in Andalusia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guevarra
Among Census respondents with the surname Guevarra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and White (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Guevarra 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 Guevarra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.6% · 1,990
- Hispanic or Latino21.8% · 596
- White2.6% · 70
- Two or more races2.3% · 63
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guevarra
Guevarra 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
#13,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,216
+728 bearers (+48.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 3,806 places
2020
#11,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,740
+524 bearers (+23.6%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 2,593 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,466 | 1,488 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,660 | 2,216 | 0.75 | +728 bearers (+48.9%) | Up 3,806 places |
| 2020 | #11,067 | 2,740 | 0.92 | +524 bearers (+23.6%) | Up 2,593 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 Guevarra 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 | #13,660 | #11,067 | 19.0% |
| Count | 2,216 | 2,740 | 23.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.92 | 22.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guevarra bearers went from 2,216 to 2,740 (+23.6% change). The surname moved up 2,593 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,660 to #11,067.
FAQ
Guevarra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guevarra?
Name Census estimates that about 3,142 living Americans carry the surname Guevarra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,088 residents.
How common is Guevarra?
Guevarra ranks #11,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,740 people with the surname Guevarra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Guevarra.
Has Guevarra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guevarra went from 2,216 recorded bearers to 2,740. That is an increase of 524 (+23.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,660 to #11,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Guevarra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guevarra, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and White (2.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Guevarra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (1,990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guevarra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.6%), Hispanic (21.8%), White (2.6%). 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 Guevarra (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 Guevarra mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "gebara," meaning "stream" or "ravine." 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 Guevarra (0.92 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 Guevarra?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Guevarra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.