2000
#12,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Mosquera
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "otsokerra," meaning "wolf stone" or "place of wolves."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,153 Americans carry the last name Mosquera. That puts it at #8,697 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mosquera 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mosquera with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,532
Census rank
#8,697
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,622 bearers of the surname Mosquera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8697th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosquera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mosquera
The surname Mosquera is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the toponym "Mosquera," which refers to a specific location or village within Galicia.
The name Mosquera likely has its roots in the Latin word "musca," meaning fly or mosquito. It is possible that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a swampy area or a location with a high concentration of flies or mosquitoes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mosquera can be found in the 14th century, when a nobleman named Juan Mosquera was mentioned in the chronicles of the Kingdom of Galicia. This suggests that the Mosquera family may have held a prominent position in the region during that time period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Álvaro Mosquera was a renowned explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on one of his voyages to the Americas. Mosquera's expertise in navigation and cartography played a crucial role in the exploration of the New World.
During the 16th century, the Mosquera family expanded their influence and established themselves in various parts of Spain. One notable member was Diego Mosquera de Figueroa, a military leader and conquistador who participated in the conquest of present-day Colombia and served as the governor of the region known as Nueva Andalucía.
In the 17th century, the Mosquera surname gained prominence in the Viceroyalty of New Granada (present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela). Cristóbal Mosquera de Figueroa, born in 1592, was a Spanish colonial administrator who served as the president of the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá, one of the highest administrative positions in the region.
Another notable figure with the Mosquera surname was Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, a Colombian military leader, and politician who served as the President of Colombia twice, from 1845 to 1849 and again from 1861 to 1864. He played a pivotal role in the dissolution of Gran Colombia and the establishment of the modern Republic of Colombia.
While the Mosquera surname has its origins in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with a significant Spanish colonial influence, such as Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mosquera
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosquera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mosquera 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 Mosquera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.5% · 3,168
- White7.2% · 260
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 104
- Black or African American2.0% · 71
- Two or more races0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mosquera
Mosquera 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
#9,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,286
+910 bearers (+38.3%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 2,206 places
2020
#8,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,622
+336 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 1,149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,052 | 2,376 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,846 | 3,286 | 1.11 | +910 bearers (+38.3%) | Up 2,206 places |
| 2020 | #8,697 | 3,622 | 1.21 | +336 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,149 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 Mosquera 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 | #9,846 | #8,697 | 11.7% |
| Count | 3,286 | 3,622 | 10.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.21 | 9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mosquera bearers went from 3,286 to 3,622 (+10.2% change). The surname moved up 1,149 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,846 to #8,697.
FAQ
Mosquera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mosquera?
Name Census estimates that about 4,153 living Americans carry the surname Mosquera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,532 residents.
How common is Mosquera?
Mosquera ranks #8,697 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,622 people with the surname Mosquera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mosquera.
Has Mosquera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mosquera went from 3,286 recorded bearers to 3,622. That is an increase of 336 (+10.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,846 to #8,697.
What does the Census say about the background of Mosquera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mosquera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Mosquera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (3,168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mosquera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.5%), White (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Mosquera (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 Mosquera mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "otsokerra," meaning "wolf stone" or "place of wolves." 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 Mosquera (1.21 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 Mosquera?
See how many Americans have the surname Mosquera on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.