Ramirez Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin

In this article we'll look at the origin and meaning of the surname Ramirez and how popular it is in the United States. We'll also look at the race and ethnic origin of people in the United States who are named Ramirez.

Ramirez, like all of the names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ramirez surname is from the 2010 census data.

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What is the Origin and Meaning of the Last Name Ramirez?

The surname of Ramirez is a patronymic name that derives from the Spanish given name Ramiro. In Spanish naming tradition, the addition of the “ez” suffix indicates that the bearer is the “son of Ramiro.” The name Ramiro itself derives from the Germanic given name Raginmari which comprises two parts, "ragin" (wise or counsel) and "mari" (famous).

It is likely that the Raginmari came to Spain during the 410 AD invasion of the Germanic Visigoth tribe. Sweeping down from the North the Visigoths drove out the Roman empire of Spain bringing with them unique new given names. In addition to Ramiro, the name Raginmari inspired other names throughout Europe such as Reinmer, Remer and Reymers.

One of the earliest mentions of the Ramirez surname dates back to Junta Ramirez who was recorded living in Navarra, Spain in 1584. Throughout Europe during the 14^th and 15^th centuries, other versions of the Raginmari inspired surname also surfaced.

García Ramírez (1112 – 21 November 1150), referred to as the Restorer, was notable for restoring the Navarrese Kingdom after its six-decade union with the neighboring Kingdom of Aragon. Garcia’s father was Ramiro Sanchez hence the Ramirez surname which means “son of Ramiro.”

In 1134 the successions of both the Kingdoms Navarra and Aragon were in turmoil with multiple factions trying to gain control. Garcia Ramirez was elected by the nobles of Navarra to take the throne, a decision unpopular with the ruler of Aragon. Garcia also enjoyed the financial backing of the Bishop of Pamplona.

Where Does Ramirez Rank in the Most Common U.S. Names?

According to the data, Ramirez is ranked #28 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

The Ramirez surname appeared 557,423 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 188.97 would have the surname Ramirez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ramirez to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

Race and Ethnic Origin of People with the Last Name Ramirez

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ramirez.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ramirez was:

• 3.89%, or 21,684 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only".
• 0.31%, or 1,728 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only".
• 0.93%, or 5,184 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only".
• 0.20%, or 1,115 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native".
• 0.19%, or 1,059 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races".
• 94.48%, or 526,653 total occurrences, were "Hispanic Origin".

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ramirez has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Decennial Census survey, from the United States Census Bureau.

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