2000
#6,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Quiroga
A Galician toponymic surname referring to a person from any of several places named Quiroga in northwestern Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,863 Americans carry the last name Quiroga. That puts it at #5,608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,942 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quiroga 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
6.9K
1 in 49,942
Census rank
#5,608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,985 bearers of the surname Quiroga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quiroga
The surname Quiroga is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated from the Galician town of Quiroga, located in the northwestern region of Spain. The town's name is derived from the Latin word "quiricus," meaning "circle" or "ring," possibly referring to a circular shape or a settlement built around a ring-shaped defensive wall.
In the early Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from the names of places where people lived or were born. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Quiroga date back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various historical documents from the Kingdom of Galicia and the neighboring regions of northern Spain.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pedro Quiroga, a nobleman and military leader who fought in the Reconquista, the campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. He was born around 1220 and played a significant role in the capture of Seville in 1248.
During the 15th century, the surname Quiroga was associated with the noble family of the same name, who held significant landholdings and influence in the region of Galicia. Vasco Quiroga (1470-1565) was a prominent member of this family, known for his role as the first bishop of Michoacán in New Spain (now Mexico) and his efforts to protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
In the 16th century, another notable figure was Juan de Quiroga (1508-1565), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served as the governor of New Spain (Mexico) from 1535 to 1537. He played a crucial role in the conquest and colonization of Central America and is remembered for his administrative reforms and efforts to establish order in the newly conquered territories.
Throughout the centuries, the Quiroga surname has been carried by several other notable individuals, including:
1. Antonio de Quiroga (1516-1594), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the viceroy of New Spain from 1567 to 1576.
2. José Quiroga (1767-1784), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1781 to 1784.
3. Juan Rafael Quiroga (1790-1835), an Argentine military leader and politician who played a significant role in the Argentine War of Independence and served as the governor of Buenos Aires Province.
4. Vasco de Quiroga y Losada (1299-1367), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who participated in the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
5. Álvaro de Quiroga (1537-1594), a Spanish jurist and scholar who served as the president of the Council of the Indies, the highest governing body for the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
The surname Quiroga continues to be prevalent in Spain, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Asturias, as well as in various parts of Latin America, where it was introduced during the colonial era by Spanish settlers and conquistadors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quiroga
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Quiroga 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 Quiroga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 5,360
- White7.9% · 474
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 76
- Black or African American0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
- Two or more races0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quiroga
Quiroga 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
#5,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,937
+1,335 bearers (+29.0%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Up 926 places
2020
#5,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,985
+48 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Up 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,750 | 4,602 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,824 | 5,937 | 2.01 | +1,335 bearers (+29.0%) | Up 926 places |
| 2020 | #5,608 | 5,985 | 2.00 | +48 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 216 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 Quiroga 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 | #5,824 | #5,608 | 3.7% |
| Count | 5,937 | 5,985 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 2.00 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quiroga bearers went from 5,937 to 5,985 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,824 to #5,608.
FAQ
Quiroga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quiroga?
Name Census estimates that about 6,863 living Americans carry the surname Quiroga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,942 residents.
How common is Quiroga?
Quiroga ranks #5,608 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,985 people with the surname Quiroga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,863), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Quiroga.
Has Quiroga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quiroga went from 5,937 recorded bearers to 5,985. That is an increase of 48 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,824 to #5,608.
What does the Census say about the background of Quiroga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Quiroga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (5,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quiroga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (7.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Quiroga (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 Quiroga mean?
A Galician toponymic surname referring to a person from any of several places named Quiroga in northwestern Spain. 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 Quiroga (2.00 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 Quiroga?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.