2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guvara
An Indian surname derived from the Sanskrit word "govara" meaning a cowherd or cattle herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Guvara. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guvara 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Guvara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guvara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guvara
The surname GUVARA has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of modern-day Pakistan and northwestern India. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century CE.
The name GUVARA is derived from the Sanskrit word "govara," which means "village chief" or "headman." This suggests that the name was originally borne by individuals who held leadership positions in rural communities or villages.
One of the earliest known references to the name GUVARA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This text mentions a certain Malik Guvara, who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
In the 14th century, a renowned scholar and poet named Guvara Khan flourished in the region of Punjab (now spanning parts of Pakistan and India). His poetic works, written in Persian, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and have been preserved to this day.
During the Mughal era, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th century, several notable individuals with the surname GUVARA held positions of power and influence. One such individual was Mir Guvara, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century.
Another prominent figure was Nawab Guvara Khan, a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who lived in the city of Lucknow (now in Uttar Pradesh, India) during the 18th century. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his contribution to the construction of several architectural marvels.
In more recent history, the name GUVARA has been associated with the Indian independence movement. Guvara Singh, a freedom fighter from the state of Punjab, played a significant role in the non-violent resistance against British colonial rule in the early 20th century.
While the surname GUVARA has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide valuable insights into the name's rich heritage and its association with leadership, scholarly pursuits, and societal influence over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guvara
Among Census respondents with the surname Guvara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Guvara 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 Guvara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.4% · 106
- White4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guvara
Guvara 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,225 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 Guvara 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 | #147,253 | #145,028 | 1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 116 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guvara bearers went from 112 to 116 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,028.
FAQ
Guvara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guvara?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Guvara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Guvara?
Guvara ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Guvara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Guvara.
Has Guvara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guvara went from 112 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Guvara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guvara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%). 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 Guvara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guvara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.4%), White (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%). 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 Guvara (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 Guvara mean?
An Indian surname derived from the Sanskrit word "govara" meaning a cowherd or cattle herder. 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 Guvara (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 surname Guvara?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.