2000
#7,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Rubalcava
A Basque habitational surname referring to a person from a place called Rubalcava, likely meaning "by the new cave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,432 Americans carry the last name Rubalcava. That puts it at #6,829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rubalcava 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
5.4K
1 in 63,099
Census rank
#6,829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,737 bearers of the surname Rubalcava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubalcava, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rubalcava
The surname Rubalcava is of Spanish origin and its roots can be traced back to the late 15th century in the region of Andalusia, Spain. The name is believed to have derived from the Arabic phrase "rub al-qawa," which translates to "the strong quarter" or "the powerful neighborhood," reflecting the historical Moorish influence in the area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Rubalcava name can be found in a medieval manuscript from the city of Seville, dated around 1492. This document lists a certain Pedro Rubalcava as a landowner and prominent member of the local community.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as Spanish exploration and colonization expanded across the Atlantic, the Rubalcava name began to appear in various regions of the Americas. Notable individuals from this period include Juan Rubalcava (1534-1601), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru, and Catalina Rubalcava (1572-1638), a landowner and philanthropist in the viceroyalty of New Spain (modern-day Mexico).
In the 18th century, the Rubalcava family had established a presence in various parts of Spain's American colonies. One prominent figure was Miguel Rubalcava (1712-1782), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the region of Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina and Uruguay).
The 19th century saw the Rubalcava name spread further across the Americas, with individuals such as Manuel Rubalcava (1821-1896), a Mexican military officer who fought in the Mexican-American War, and Dolores Rubalcava (1839-1912), a renowned poet and educator from Chile.
As the centuries progressed, the Rubalcava name continued to be carried by notable individuals, such as Antonio Rubalcava (1901-1988), a Spanish-American artist known for his vibrant paintings depicting the American Southwest, and María Rubalcava (1928-2002), a respected human rights activist and advocate for indigenous communities in Guatemala.
While the name Rubalcava may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation over time, its Spanish origins and rich heritage have remained an integral part of its identity, with bearers of this surname leaving their mark across various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rubalcava
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubalcava, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rubalcava 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 Rubalcava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 4,458
- White4.9% · 232
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- Two or more races0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rubalcava
Rubalcava 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
#6,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,130
+922 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 697 places
2020
#6,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,737
-393 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,302 | 4,208 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,605 | 5,130 | 1.74 | +922 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 697 places |
| 2020 | #6,829 | 4,737 | 1.58 | -393 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 224 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 Rubalcava 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 | #6,605 | #6,829 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,130 | 4,737 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.58 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rubalcava bearers went from 5,130 to 4,737 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 224 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,605 to #6,829.
FAQ
Rubalcava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rubalcava?
Name Census estimates that about 5,432 living Americans carry the surname Rubalcava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,099 residents.
How common is Rubalcava?
Rubalcava ranks #6,829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 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 4,737 people with the surname Rubalcava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 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 Rubalcava.
Has Rubalcava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rubalcava went from 5,130 recorded bearers to 4,737. That is a decrease of 393 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,605 to #6,829.
What does the Census say about the background of Rubalcava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rubalcava, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Rubalcava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (4,458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rubalcava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Rubalcava (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 Rubalcava mean?
A Basque habitational surname referring to a person from a place called Rubalcava, likely meaning "by the new cave." 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 Rubalcava (1.58 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 Rubalcava?
Want to know how common the surname Rubalcava is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.