2000
#1,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.80
Uncommon Last name
Tovar
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold towels or tablecloths.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,130 Americans carry the last name Tovar. That puts it at #1,064 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tovar 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
37K
1 in 9,231
Census rank
#1,064
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,379 bearers of the surname Tovar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1064th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tovar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tovar
The surname Tovar originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "tovar," which means a meadow or grassland. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or owned a meadow or grassland area.
The name Tovar can be traced back to the 12th century in Spain, where it was found in various regions, including Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in a document from the year 1187, which mentions a person named Rodrigo Tovar.
In the 13th century, the name Tovar is mentioned in the "Libro de la Montería," a hunting treatise written under the patronage of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350). This book records the names of various huntsmen and falconers, including several individuals with the surname Tovar.
During the 15th century, the Tovar family gained prominence in Spain, with several members holding important positions in the royal court and the military. One notable figure was Juan de Tovar, who served as a military commander under King Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516) during the Reconquista and the conquest of Granada.
In the 16th century, the Tovar family expanded their influence to the Americas, with several members participating in the Spanish colonization efforts. One of the most famous figures was Pedro de Tovar, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
Another prominent individual with the surname Tovar was Juan de Tovar y Guzmán, a Spanish nobleman who served as the Governor of Margarita Island (present-day Venezuela) in the late 16th century.
During the 17th century, the name Tovar gained recognition in the field of literature, with the Spanish poet and playwright Gabriel Téllez, known by his pen name Tirso de Molina (1579-1648), being one of the most famous individuals with this surname.
In the 18th century, José Tovar y Tovar (1675-1736) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Panama and later as the Viceroy of New Granada (present-day Colombia and Panama).
The surname Tovar has also been associated with several notable individuals in more recent times, such as the Mexican archaeologist and linguist Juan Tovar (1941-2022), who was renowned for his studies on the indigenous languages of Mesoamerica.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tovar
Among Census respondents with the surname Tovar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tovar 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 Tovar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 30,310
- White5.4% · 1,737
- Black or African American0.3% · 112
- Two or more races0.3% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tovar
Tovar 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
#1,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,760
+9,017 bearers (+38.0%)
Per 100,000 11.11
Rank movement Up 300 places
2020
#1,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,379
-381 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 10.83
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,370 | 23,743 | 8.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,070 | 32,760 | 11.11 | +9,017 bearers (+38.0%) | Up 300 places |
| 2020 | #1,064 | 32,379 | 10.83 | -381 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 6 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 Tovar 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 | #1,070 | #1,064 | 0.6% |
| Count | 32,760 | 32,379 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 11.11 | 10.83 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tovar bearers went from 32,760 to 32,379 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,070 to #1,064.
FAQ
Tovar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tovar?
Name Census estimates that about 37,130 living Americans carry the surname Tovar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,231 residents.
How common is Tovar?
Tovar ranks #1,064 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,379 people with the surname Tovar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Tovar.
Has Tovar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tovar went from 32,760 recorded bearers to 32,379. That is a decrease of 381 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,070 to #1,064.
What does the Census say about the background of Tovar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tovar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Tovar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (30,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tovar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (5.4%), Black (0.3%). 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 Tovar (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 Tovar mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold towels or tablecloths. 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 Tovar (10.83 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 Tovar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.