2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guez
A surname potentially derived from the Spanish word "agüero" meaning an omen or fortune-teller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Guez. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guez 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Guez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guez, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guez
The surname GUEZ originated from Spain during the medieval period, specifically in the region of Andalusia. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "Ghuzz," which referred to nomadic Turkic tribes that settled in parts of Spain during the period of Muslim rule. The name likely evolved from a personal name or nickname given to individuals who had connections or ancestry with these tribes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GUEZ can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its reconquest by the Christian forces. This suggests that individuals bearing the name GUEZ were already present in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, the surname GUEZ appears in records of the Spanish Inquisition, indicating that some individuals with this name were targeted or affected by the persecution of those with Jewish or Muslim heritage. This could suggest that the name was associated with a particular religious or cultural background during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname GUEZ throughout history include:
1. Juan de Guez (c. 1470-1545), a Spanish humanist scholar and writer known for his works on rhetoric and philosophy.
2. Gonzalo Guez de Balboa (c. 1475-1519), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who is credited with being the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean from the New World.
3. Beatriz de Guez (c. 1500-1570), a Spanish mystic and nun who was known for her spiritual writings and teachings.
4. Diego Guez de Navarre (c. 1520-1592), a Spanish military leader and diplomat who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines.
5. Pedro Guez de Montilla (c. 1570-1640), a Spanish painter and artist who was renowned for his religious and historical works during the Baroque period.
The surname GUEZ can also be found in various place names throughout Spain, such as Guezalbarba and Guezalpeña, which may have derived from individuals bearing this name who were associated with or resided in those locations.
While the origins of the surname GUEZ can be traced back to medieval Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, taking on various spellings and variations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guez
Among Census respondents with the surname Guez, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Guez 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 Guez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guez
Guez appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 6,871 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 Guez 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 | #152,628 | #145,757 | 4.5% |
| Count | 107 | 115 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guez bearers went from 107 to 115 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 6,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #145,757.
FAQ
Guez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guez?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Guez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Guez?
Guez ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Guez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Guez.
Has Guez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guez went from 107 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Guez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guez, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Black (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Guez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (8.7%), Black (1.7%). 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 Guez (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 Guez mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Spanish word "agüero" meaning an omen or fortune-teller. 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 Guez (0.04 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 last name Guez?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Guez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.