2000
#658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,235
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.51
Uncommon Last name
Suarez
A Spanish habitational surname referring to a person from any of various places named Suárez, derived from Latin "suarius" meaning "swineherd."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 78,938 Americans carry the last name Suarez. That puts it at #473 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suarez 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Suarez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
79K
1 in 4,342
Census rank
#473
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
69K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 68,838 bearers of the surname Suarez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 473rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suarez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suarez
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suarez
Among Census respondents with the surname Suarez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Suarez 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 Suarez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.7% · 61,717
- White6.7% · 4,630
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 1,606
- Black or African American0.7% · 492
- Two or more races0.4% · 273
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 120
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suarez
Suarez 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
#510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,013
+18,778 bearers (+39.8%)
Per 100,000 22.38
Rank movement Up 148 places
2020
#473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,838
+2,825 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 23.03
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #658 | 47,235 | 17.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #510 | 66,013 | 22.38 | +18,778 bearers (+39.8%) | Up 148 places |
| 2020 | #473 | 68,838 | 23.03 | +2,825 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 37 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 Suarez 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 | #510 | #473 | 7.3% |
| Count | 66,013 | 68,838 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 22.38 | 23.03 | 2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suarez bearers went from 66,013 to 68,838 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #510 to #473.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Suarez
FAQ
Suarez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suarez?
Name Census estimates that about 78,938 living Americans carry the surname Suarez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,342 residents.
How common is Suarez?
Suarez ranks #473 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 68,838 people with the surname Suarez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (78,938), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Suarez.
Has Suarez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suarez went from 66,013 recorded bearers to 68,838. That is an increase of 2,825 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #510 to #473.
What does the Census say about the background of Suarez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suarez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Suarez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (61,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suarez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.7%), White (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Suarez (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 Suarez mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to a person from any of various places named Suárez, derived from Latin "suarius" meaning "swineherd." 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 Suarez (23.03 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 Suarez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.