2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Musquez
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "muscus" meaning moss or musk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Musquez. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musquez 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Musquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musquez
The surname Musquez has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period of the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "mushtaq," which means "a place of longing" or "a place of desire." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where the earliest bearers of the name lived or settled.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, where a certain Pedro Musquez was mentioned as a landowner in the region of Valencia in 1234. The name also appears in several historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the records of the Spanish Inquisition.
During the 16th century, the Musquez family played a significant role in the colonization of the Americas. Juan Musquez, born in Seville in 1518, was a prominent explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. He later became one of the founders of the city of Puebla de los Ángeles in 1531.
Another notable figure was Catalina Musquez, a Spanish noblewoman born in Córdoba in 1572. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and was instrumental in establishing several hospitals and orphanages in the region.
In the 18th century, the Musquez family gained prominence in the field of arts and literature. Antonio Musquez, born in Madrid in 1712, was a renowned painter whose works adorned many churches and palaces across Spain. His contemporary, María Musquez, born in Granada in 1723, was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works explored themes of love, loss, and societal injustice.
As the name spread throughout Spain and its territories, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Musques, Musques, and Musques. The name also found its way into other European countries, particularly in France and Italy, where it was often Gallicized or Italianized to Musquès or Musquez.
While the surname Musquez is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of Spain and serves as a testament to the country's diverse linguistic and historical influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Musquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Musquez 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 Musquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.3% · 94
- White8.7% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musquez
Musquez 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,582 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 16,582 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Musquez 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 | #146,201 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musquez bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Musquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musquez?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Musquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Musquez?
Musquez ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Musquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Musquez.
Has Musquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musquez went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Musquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%). 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 Musquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.3%), White (8.7%). 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 Musquez (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 Musquez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "muscus" meaning moss or musk. 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 Musquez (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Musquez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.