2000
#4,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,603
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Quesada
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places in Spain named Quesada, meaning "cheese factory."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,737 Americans carry the last name Quesada. That puts it at #4,528 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quesada 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
8.7K
1 in 39,230
Census rank
#4,528
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,619 bearers of the surname Quesada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4528th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quesada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quesada
The surname Quesada is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "quesada" which translates to "cheese-maker" or "cheese seller." It likely emerged during the medieval period in Spain, potentially in regions known for their cheese production.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Quesada can be traced back to the 13th century. One notable example is Juan Quesada, a nobleman and military leader who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the Quesada family gained prominence in the city of Granada, with several members holding influential positions within the local government and nobility. Alonso de Quesada, born in 1472, was a renowned explorer and conquistador who led expeditions into present-day Colombia and Venezuela.
The surname Quesada is also associated with the town of Quesada, located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. It is believed that some early bearers of the surname may have originated from or had ties to this town. The town's name itself is derived from the Arabic word "qaysadah," meaning "long and narrow."
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Quesada is Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, born in 1509. He was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the Spanish conquest of the Muisca Confederation, establishing the settlement that would become Bogotá, Colombia.
Other notable individuals with the surname Quesada include:
1. Antonio de Quesada y Acuña (1508-1576), a Spanish military commander and Governor of the Philippines.
2. Vicente Quesada (1817-1878), an Argentine writer, historian, and journalist.
3. Ernesto Quesada (1858-1934), an Argentine intellectual, lawyer, and sociologist.
4. Gonzalo Quesada (born 1974), an Argentine former rugby union player and current coach.
The surname Quesada has also been documented in various historical records and manuscripts throughout Spain, Latin America, and other regions influenced by Spanish colonization and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quesada
Among Census respondents with the surname Quesada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Quesada 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 Quesada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.0% · 6,550
- White10.0% · 761
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 185
- Two or more races0.6% · 47
- Black or African American0.6% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quesada
Quesada 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
#4,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,870
+1,267 bearers (+19.2%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Up 371 places
2020
#4,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,619
-251 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,880 | 6,603 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,509 | 7,870 | 2.67 | +1,267 bearers (+19.2%) | Up 371 places |
| 2020 | #4,528 | 7,619 | 2.55 | -251 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 19 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 Quesada 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 | #4,509 | #4,528 | -0.4% |
| Count | 7,870 | 7,619 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.55 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quesada bearers went from 7,870 to 7,619 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,509 to #4,528.
FAQ
Quesada surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quesada?
Name Census estimates that about 8,737 living Americans carry the surname Quesada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,230 residents.
How common is Quesada?
Quesada ranks #4,528 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 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 7,619 people with the surname Quesada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 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 Quesada.
Has Quesada become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quesada went from 7,870 recorded bearers to 7,619. That is a decrease of 251 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,509 to #4,528.
What does the Census say about the background of Quesada?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quesada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Quesada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (6,550 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quesada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.0%), White (10.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Quesada (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 Quesada mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places in Spain named Quesada, meaning "cheese factory." 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 Quesada (2.55 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 have the surname Quesada?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.