2000
#42,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Quiroa
A topographic Spanish surname derived from the Galician word "quiroa" meaning holly bush.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 920 Americans carry the last name Quiroa. That puts it at #31,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 372,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quiroa 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
920
1 in 372,559
Census rank
#31,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
802
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 802 bearers of the surname Quiroa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quiroa
The surname Quiroa is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "quirola," which means a small forest or thicket. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.
Quiroa is considered a relatively rare surname, and its earliest known instances can be traced back to the region of Castile-La Mancha in central Spain. Some of the earliest records of the name appear in church documents and local census records from the 14th and 15th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the surname Quiroa was Juan de Quiroa, a Spanish explorer and navigator who lived in the late 15th century. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and is credited with charting and mapping parts of the Caribbean islands.
Another individual with the Quiroa surname was Francisca de Quiroa, a Spanish noblewoman who lived in the 16th century. She was known for her philanthropic work and for establishing a convent in the city of Toledo.
In the 17th century, a man named Pedro de Quiroa served as a magistrate and judge in the colonial Spanish government in Mexico. He played a significant role in the administration of justice and legal affairs in the region during that era.
Moving into the 18th century, there was a renowned painter named José de Quiroa y Losada, who was born in Spain in 1702 and died in 1784. He was known for his religious paintings and for his work as a court painter for the Spanish monarchy.
Finally, in the 19th century, a man named Miguel de Quiroa was a prominent Spanish writer and poet. He was born in 1813 and published several volumes of poetry and literature throughout his lifetime, earning recognition for his contributions to Spanish literature.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Quiroa throughout history, showcasing the name's Spanish origins and its presence in various fields and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quiroa
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Quiroa 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 Quiroa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.0% · 762
- White4.0% · 32
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quiroa
Quiroa 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
#31,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 746
+261 bearers (+53.8%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 11,027 places
2020
#31,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 802
+56 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,134 | 485 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,107 | 746 | 0.25 | +261 bearers (+53.8%) | Up 11,027 places |
| 2020 | #31,009 | 802 | 0.27 | +56 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 98 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 Quiroa 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 | #31,107 | #31,009 | 0.3% |
| Count | 746 | 802 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.27 | 7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quiroa bearers went from 746 to 802 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,107 to #31,009.
FAQ
Quiroa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quiroa?
Name Census estimates that about 920 living Americans carry the surname Quiroa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 372,559 residents.
How common is Quiroa?
Quiroa ranks #31,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 802 people with the surname Quiroa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (920), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Quiroa.
Has Quiroa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quiroa went from 746 recorded bearers to 802. That is an increase of 56 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #31,107 to #31,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Quiroa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Quiroa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (762 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quiroa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.0%), White (4.0%), Black (0.5%). 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 Quiroa (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 Quiroa mean?
A topographic Spanish surname derived from the Galician word "quiroa" meaning holly bush. 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 Quiroa (0.27 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 Quiroa?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Quiroa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.