2000
#26,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 879
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Quijas
An archaic Spanish surname derived from the town name Quijas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,284 Americans carry the last name Quijas. That puts it at #23,402 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 266,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quijas 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
1.3K
1 in 266,943
Census rank
#23,402
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,120 bearers of the surname Quijas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23402nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quijas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quijas
The surname QUIJAS is of Spanish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "quijada," which means "jawbone" or "cheekbone." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent jawline or distinctive facial features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the QUIJAS surname can be found in the 15th century, when a certain Juan de Quijas was mentioned in historical documents from the region of Castile in central Spain. During this time, surnames were becoming more widespread and often reflected occupations, physical attributes, or places of origin.
In the 16th century, the name QUIJAS appears in various records and manuscripts, including the archives of the Spanish Inquisition. One notable figure was Francisco de Quijas, a Catholic priest and theologian born in Valladolid in 1548, who authored several treatises on religious matters.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the QUIJAS surname spread to regions like Mexico and other parts of Latin America. In the 18th century, Pedro Quijas, a Spanish military officer, played a role in the colonization efforts in New Mexico, where he helped establish settlements and forts.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several influential individuals bearing the QUIJAS name. Juana Quijas, born in 1815 in Mexico City, was a renowned artist and painter whose works depicted scenes from everyday life and captured the vibrant culture of her time.
Another prominent figure was Andrés Quijas, a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the late 1800s. He was instrumental in negotiating several treaties and fostering international relationships on behalf of his country.
In the 20th century, Manuel Quijas, a Spanish artist and sculptor born in 1904 in Zaragoza, gained recognition for his avant-garde works that explored abstract forms and geometric shapes. His pieces were exhibited in galleries across Europe and are now part of several prominent collections.
It is worth noting that the QUIJAS surname has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Quijas de Cuéllar, a municipality in the province of Segovia, Spain. Additionally, variations in spelling, like Quijada or Quijano, can be found throughout historical records, reflecting regional linguistic differences and adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quijas
Among Census respondents with the surname Quijas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Quijas 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 Quijas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.4% · 1,012
- White7.4% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 8
- Two or more races0.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quijas
Quijas 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
#20,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,263
+384 bearers (+43.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 5,292 places
2020
#23,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,120
-143 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 2,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,163 | 879 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,871 | 1,263 | 0.43 | +384 bearers (+43.7%) | Up 5,292 places |
| 2020 | #23,402 | 1,120 | 0.37 | -143 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 2,531 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 Quijas 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 | #20,871 | #23,402 | -12.1% |
| Count | 1,263 | 1,120 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.37 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quijas bearers went from 1,263 to 1,120 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 2,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,871 to #23,402.
FAQ
Quijas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quijas?
Name Census estimates that about 1,284 living Americans carry the surname Quijas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 266,943 residents.
How common is Quijas?
Quijas ranks #23,402 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,120 people with the surname Quijas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Quijas.
Has Quijas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quijas went from 1,263 recorded bearers to 1,120. That is a decrease of 143 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,871 to #23,402.
What does the Census say about the background of Quijas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quijas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Quijas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quijas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.4%), White (7.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Quijas (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 Quijas mean?
An archaic Spanish surname derived from the town name Quijas. 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 Quijas (0.37 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 Quijas?
If you just want to know how many people are called Quijas, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.