2000
#4,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Iniguez
Basque habitational surname referring to someone from the village of Iñigo in the province of Álava, northern Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,659 Americans carry the last name Iniguez. That puts it at #4,083 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Iniguez 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
9.7K
1 in 35,485
Census rank
#4,083
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,423 bearers of the surname Iniguez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4083rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Iniguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Iniguez
The surname Iniguez has its origins in Spain, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Spanish given name Iñigo, which itself is a Basque form of the Latin name Eneco or Enneco. This name is believed to have originated from the Germanic name Inniko or Eneko, composed of the elements "inne" meaning "to renew" and "eko" meaning "war or battle."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Iniguez can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century census document from the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This record lists several individuals bearing the surname Iniguez, indicating its use and presence in the region of Castile during that time.
The surname Iniguez has also been linked to various place names in Spain, such as the town of Iñiguez de Abajo in the province of Burgos. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from these specific areas.
One notable figure bearing the surname Iniguez was Iñigo López de Mendoza, Marquis of Santillana (1398-1458), a prominent Spanish poet, nobleman, and patron of the arts during the Renaissance period. His works, including the Comedieta de Ponza and Serranillas, were highly influential in the development of Spanish literature.
Another historical figure with the surname Iniguez was Juan Iniguez de Ibargüen (1545-1604), a Spanish architect and military engineer who worked on several important projects, including the Escorial Monastery and the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
In the realm of religion, Ignacio Iniguez de Ibarrola (1858-1937) was a Spanish prelate who served as the Bishop of Zamora from 1920 to 1937.
Rodrigo Iniguez de Moncalvillo (fl. 1213-1232) was a notable Navarrese nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the Reconquista, the Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
Additionally, Martín Iniguez de Arnedo (fl. 1370s) was a Spanish knight and military commander who served under King Enrique II of Castile during the Castilian Civil War against Pedro I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Iniguez
Among Census respondents with the surname Iniguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Iniguez 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 Iniguez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.1% · 8,095
- White3.0% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 29
- Two or more races0.2% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
- Black or African American0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Iniguez
Iniguez 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
#4,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,750
+2,129 bearers (+32.2%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Up 813 places
2020
#4,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,423
-327 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,870 | 6,621 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,057 | 8,750 | 2.97 | +2,129 bearers (+32.2%) | Up 813 places |
| 2020 | #4,083 | 8,423 | 2.82 | -327 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 26 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 Iniguez 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 | #4,057 | #4,083 | -0.6% |
| Count | 8,750 | 8,423 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.97 | 2.82 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Iniguez bearers went from 8,750 to 8,423 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,057 to #4,083.
FAQ
Iniguez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Iniguez?
Name Census estimates that about 9,659 living Americans carry the surname Iniguez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,485 residents.
How common is Iniguez?
Iniguez ranks #4,083 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,423 people with the surname Iniguez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,659), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Iniguez.
Has Iniguez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Iniguez went from 8,750 recorded bearers to 8,423. That is a decrease of 327 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,057 to #4,083.
What does the Census say about the background of Iniguez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Iniguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) 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 Iniguez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (8,095 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Iniguez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.1%), White (3.0%), 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 Iniguez (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 Iniguez mean?
Basque habitational surname referring to someone from the village of Iñigo in the province of Álava, northern Spain. 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 Iniguez (2.82 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 Iniguez?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Iniguez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.