2000
#959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.36
Uncommon Last name
Huerta
An occupational surname referring to a gardener or orchard keeper in Spanish-speaking regions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,963 Americans carry the last name Huerta. That puts it at #747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Huerta 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
52K
1 in 6,596
Census rank
#747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,314 bearers of the surname Huerta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Huerta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Huerta
The surname Huerta originated in Spain. It is derived from the Spanish word "huerta," which means "orchard" or "garden." The name likely arose as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or worked in an orchard or garden.
In its earliest recorded use, the name Huerta can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in the areas of Castile and Aragon. It was often associated with farming communities and agricultural occupations.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Huerta can be found in the "Repartimiento de Jerez de la Frontera" (Distribution of Jerez de la Frontera), a 13th-century document that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the city of Jerez de la Frontera after its conquest by the Christian forces in 1264.
The name Huerta has also appeared in various historical documents and records throughout the centuries. For example, in the 15th century, there is a record of a person named Juan de la Huerta who was involved in the conquest of the Canary Islands.
Historically, the surname Huerta has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded was Jerónimo de la Huerta (c. 1573-1643), a Spanish playwright and poet known for his works in the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
Another prominent figure was Vicente de la Huerta (1734-1787), a Spanish neoclassical poet and literary critic who played a significant role in the development of Spanish literature during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Adolfo de la Huerta (1881-1955) was a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the 35th President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924.
More recently, the name Huerta has been associated with individuals such as Dolores Huerta (born 1930), a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW) union.
Additionally, Victor Huerta (1935-2020) was a prominent Mexican-American artist known for his vibrant and colorful paintings depicting everyday life and cultural traditions in the American Southwest.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Huerta
Among Census respondents with the surname Huerta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Huerta 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 Huerta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 42,971
- White4.2% · 1,892
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 145
- Two or more races0.3% · 116
- Black or African American0.2% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Huerta
Huerta 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
#735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,455
+14,107 bearers (+42.3%)
Per 100,000 16.09
Rank movement Up 224 places
2020
#747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,314
-2,141 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 15.16
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #959 | 33,348 | 12.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #735 | 47,455 | 16.09 | +14,107 bearers (+42.3%) | Up 224 places |
| 2020 | #747 | 45,314 | 15.16 | -2,141 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 12 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 Huerta 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 | #735 | #747 | -1.6% |
| Count | 47,455 | 45,314 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 16.09 | 15.16 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Huerta bearers went from 47,455 to 45,314 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #735 to #747.
FAQ
Huerta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Huerta?
Name Census estimates that about 51,963 living Americans carry the surname Huerta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,596 residents.
How common is Huerta?
Huerta ranks #747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,314 people with the surname Huerta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Huerta.
Has Huerta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Huerta went from 47,455 recorded bearers to 45,314. That is a decrease of 2,141 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #735 to #747.
What does the Census say about the background of Huerta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Huerta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Huerta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (42,971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Huerta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Huerta (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 Huerta mean?
An occupational surname referring to a gardener or orchard keeper in Spanish-speaking regions. 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 Huerta (15.16 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 common is the surname Huerta?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Huerta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.