2010
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Uclaray
A habitational name derived from a location, possibly related to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Uclaray. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uclaray 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Uclaray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uclaray, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uclaray
The surname UCLARAY has its origins in the Basque Country, a region straddling the western Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. It is believed to have first appeared in the early 15th century, derived from the Basque words "ukul" meaning "owl" and "arrai" meaning "stream" or "waterway".
The earliest known record of the UCLARAY name dates back to 1426 in the village of Garazi, located in the Northern Basque Country of France. It appears in a land deed mentioning one Petri de Ucularrai, likely referring to someone residing near an "owl stream".
By the late 15th century, variations of the name like Ucularay and Ucularray start appearing in church records and municipal archives across the Basque provinces of Lapurdi, Baxe Nafarroa, and Zuberoa in present-day France.
One notable early bearer of the UCLARAY name was Juan de Ucularray (1509-1583), a renowned Basque architect who designed several churches and municipal buildings in the region, including the Church of Saint-Jean-le-Vieux in Bayonne.
In the 17th century, the UCLARAY name spread to the Spanish side of the Basque Country, particularly in the provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. Miguel Antonio de Uclaray (1642-1712) was a prominent merchant and shipowner from the coastal town of Lekeitio.
As the Basque people migrated across Europe and the Americas in the following centuries, the UCLARAY name traveled with them. Pedro Jose de Uclaray (1789-1862) was a Basque military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in Argentina. His descendants can be found across South America today.
Another notable bearer was the French novelist and playwright Émile Uclaray (1858-1931), whose works often drew inspiration from his Basque heritage and the rugged landscapes of the Pyrenees region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uclaray
Among Census respondents with the surname Uclaray, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Uclaray 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 Uclaray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 96
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- White1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uclaray
Uclaray appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-22 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 19,470 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 Uclaray 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 | #134,712 | #154,182 | -14.5% |
| Count | 125 | 103 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uclaray bearers went from 125 to 103 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 19,470 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Uclaray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uclaray?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Uclaray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Uclaray?
Uclaray ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Uclaray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Uclaray.
Has Uclaray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uclaray went from 125 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Uclaray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uclaray, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (1.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Uclaray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uclaray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), White (1.9%). 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 Uclaray (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 Uclaray mean?
A habitational name derived from a location, possibly related to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). 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 Uclaray (0.03 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 have the last name Uclaray?
You can see how many people have the last name Uclaray on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.