Find out how popular the last name Suárez is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Suárez.

Suárez, like all of the last 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 Suárez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Suárez in America

Suárez is the 510th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Suárez surname appeared 66,013 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname Suárez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Suárez 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.

The history of the last name Suárez

The surname Suarez has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the ancient Germanic name Suerus, which means "stern" or "severe." The name likely emerged during the Visigothic era in the region, between the 5th and 8th centuries.

In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as Suario or Suarius, reflecting the Latinized version of the original Germanic name. As the name spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula, regional variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, giving rise to the modern spelling of Suarez.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript from the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia, Spain. This text mentions a nobleman named Suarius who made a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James the Great in the 11th century.

During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms reclaimed territories from the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula, the name Suarez became associated with several notable military figures. One such figure was Álvaro Núñez Suárez, a 13th-century knight who fought alongside King Ferdinand III of Castile in the conquest of Seville in 1248.

In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the explorer Juan de la Cosa Suárez, who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his voyages to the Americas. Juan de la Cosa Suárez is credited with creating one of the earliest known maps of the New World, known as the Carta Universal or the "World Map."

Another notable figure with the surname Suarez was Francisco Suárez (1548-1617), a Spanish Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian who made significant contributions to the development of metaphysics and the philosophy of law. His works, such as "Disputationes Metaphysicae" and "De Legibus," had a lasting impact on Western thought.

In the literary realm, the name is associated with the Spanish poet and playwright, Pedro Calderón de la Barca Suárez (1600-1681), regarded as one of the most prominent figures of the Spanish Golden Age. His plays, such as "Life is a Dream" and "The Constant Prince," explored themes of honor, duty, and the human condition.

The surname Suarez also has connections to various place names throughout Spain and Portugal. For example, the town of Suárez in Asturias, Spain, and the parish of Suárez in the municipality of Silleda, Galicia, Spain, both derive their names from the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Suárez

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

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

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

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 Suárez has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Suárez was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Suárez, please contact us.

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