2000
#1,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,507
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.23
Uncommon Last name
Quiroz
A Galician and Asturian surname derived from the personal name Quirus, of unknown origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,807 Americans carry the last name Quiroz. That puts it at #1,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quiroz 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
31K
1 in 11,126
Census rank
#1,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,865 bearers of the surname Quiroz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quiroz
The surname Quiroz originated in Spain during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "quiros," which means "quirks" or "twists." This name likely referred to a person's physical appearance or personality quirks.
The earliest recorded instances of the Quiroz surname can be traced back to the 15th century in the regions of Galicia and Asturias in northwestern Spain. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name were Pedro Quiroz, born in 1457 in Lugo, and Juan Quiroz, born in 1483 in Oviedo.
In the 16th century, the Quiroz name began to spread throughout Spain and its colonies in the Americas. One notable figure from this era was Diego Quiroz, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the 1520s.
During the 17th century, the Quiroz surname appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the "Relaciones Geográficas" of New Spain (present-day Mexico and Central America). This document mentions a Juan Quiroz who served as a local official in the town of Tehuacán, Puebla, in the 1640s.
In the 18th century, the Quiroz name gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of South America. One notable figure from this period was José Antonio Quiroz y Losada, a Chilean military officer and politician who served as the governor of Valdivia from 1788 to 1796.
The 19th century saw several notable individuals with the Quiroz surname. These included Manuel Quiroz Rosas, a Mexican general and politician who fought in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), and José María Quiroz Granados, a Colombian writer and poet born in 1825.
Throughout history, the Quiroz surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, the town of Quirós in Asturias, Spain, is likely related to the origin of the name. Additionally, variations such as Quirós, Quiroz, and Quiros have been recorded in historical documents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quiroz
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Quiroz 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 Quiroz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 25,111
- White4.6% · 1,243
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 259
- Black or African American0.3% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 82
- Two or more races0.3% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quiroz
Quiroz 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
#1,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,452
+7,945 bearers (+40.7%)
Per 100,000 9.31
Rank movement Up 404 places
2020
#1,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,865
-587 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 8.99
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,684 | 19,507 | 7.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,280 | 27,452 | 9.31 | +7,945 bearers (+40.7%) | Up 404 places |
| 2020 | #1,283 | 26,865 | 8.99 | -587 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 3 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 Quiroz 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 | #1,280 | #1,283 | -0.2% |
| Count | 27,452 | 26,865 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 9.31 | 8.99 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quiroz bearers went from 27,452 to 26,865 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,280 to #1,283.
FAQ
Quiroz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quiroz?
Name Census estimates that about 30,807 living Americans carry the surname Quiroz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,126 residents.
How common is Quiroz?
Quiroz ranks #1,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,865 people with the surname Quiroz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,807), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Quiroz.
Has Quiroz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quiroz went from 27,452 recorded bearers to 26,865. That is a decrease of 587 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,280 to #1,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Quiroz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quiroz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Quiroz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (25,111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quiroz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Quiroz (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 Quiroz mean?
A Galician and Asturian surname derived from the personal name Quirus, of unknown origin. 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 Quiroz (8.99 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 share the surname Quiroz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.