2000
#662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,895
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.38
Uncommon Last name
Ibarra
A Basque surname indicating a person who lived near a marsh or wetland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,654 Americans carry the last name Ibarra. That puts it at #521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ibarra 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
73K
1 in 4,718
Census rank
#521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
63K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,358 bearers of the surname Ibarra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ibarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ibarra
The surname Ibarra is of Spanish origin, derived from the Basque region of Spain. It is believed to have emerged in the 8th or 9th century during the Reconquista, a period when Christian kingdoms fought to reclaim territories from Moorish rule.
Ibarra is a locational surname, referring to the town of Ibarra located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country. The town's name is thought to come from the Basque words "ibar" meaning valley and "aran" meaning plain or meadow, suggesting the surname originated from people living in a valley or plain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Ibarra can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a 10th-century manuscript containing land grants and legal documents from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Rodrigo Ibarra was a prominent military leader and advisor to King Alfonso X of Castile, known as "El Sabio" (The Wise). Rodrigo Ibarra played a crucial role in the reconquest of Andalusia from the Moors.
During the 16th century, Juan de Ibarra (1500-1575) was a Spanish architect and stonemason who worked on several significant projects, including the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, one of the most renowned architectural masterpieces of the Spanish Renaissance.
In the 17th century, Pedro de Ibarra (1619-1675) was a Spanish painter known for his religious works, especially those commissioned by churches and monasteries in Seville and Madrid.
Another notable person with the surname Ibarra was José María Ibarra (1836-1917), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Porfiriato era, the reign of President Porfirio Díaz.
The surname Ibarra has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Ibarra de Aragón in Aragon, Ibarra de Cameros in La Rioja, and Ibarra de Renales in Navarra, reflecting the widespread distribution of this surname across different regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ibarra
Among Census respondents with the surname Ibarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ibarra 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 Ibarra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 59,799
- White3.4% · 2,178
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 909
- Two or more races0.4% · 225
- Black or African American0.2% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ibarra
Ibarra 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
#507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,063
+19,168 bearers (+40.9%)
Per 100,000 22.40
Rank movement Up 155 places
2020
#521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,358
-2,705 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 21.20
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #662 | 46,895 | 17.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #507 | 66,063 | 22.40 | +19,168 bearers (+40.9%) | Up 155 places |
| 2020 | #521 | 63,358 | 21.20 | -2,705 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 14 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 Ibarra 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 | #507 | #521 | -2.8% |
| Count | 66,063 | 63,358 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 22.40 | 21.20 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ibarra bearers went from 66,063 to 63,358 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #507 to #521.
FAQ
Ibarra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ibarra?
Name Census estimates that about 72,654 living Americans carry the surname Ibarra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,718 residents.
How common is Ibarra?
Ibarra ranks #521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,358 people with the surname Ibarra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,654), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Ibarra.
Has Ibarra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ibarra went from 66,063 recorded bearers to 63,358. That is a decrease of 2,705 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #507 to #521.
What does the Census say about the background of Ibarra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ibarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Ibarra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (59,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ibarra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.4%), White (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Ibarra (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 Ibarra mean?
A Basque surname indicating a person who lived near a marsh or wetland. 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 Ibarra (21.20 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 Ibarra?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ibarra? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.