2000
#11,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Ugalde
A Basque surname meaning "son of the hot coal," referring to a person who worked with fire or forges.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,163 Americans carry the last name Ugalde. That puts it at #8,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ugalde 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
4.2K
1 in 82,333
Census rank
#8,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,630 bearers of the surname Ugalde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ugalde, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ugalde
The surname Ugalde originates from the Basque region of Spain and France, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. The name is derived from the Basque words "uga" meaning "water" and "alde" meaning "side" or "area," suggesting a connection to a place near a body of water.
Ugalde is believed to have first appeared in written records during the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Ugalde, Ugaldi, and Hugalde. One of the earliest known mentions of the name can be found in a 1258 document from the town of Aranaz in Navarre, Spain, where a certain Sancho Ugalde was recorded as a landowner.
In the 14th century, the Ugalde family gained prominence in the Basque region, with several members holding positions of authority in local governments and military forces. Notably, Juan Ugalde de Guevara (1315-1388) was a renowned soldier who fought alongside the Castilian forces during the Reconquista against the Moors.
The name Ugalde is also associated with several place names in the Basque region, such as the village of Ugalde in the municipality of Zumarraga, Gipuzkoa, and the Ugalde Valley in Bizkaia. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the familial ties to these locations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Ugalde, including:
1. Juan Ugalde (1545-1620), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation voyage.
2. María Ugalde (1810-1892), a renowned Spanish opera singer and actress who performed in the renowned Teatro Real in Madrid.
3. Agustín Ugalde (1876-1955), a Mexican painter and educator known for his contributions to the Mexican muralist movement.
4. Ignacio Ugalde (1895-1975), a Mexican diplomat and politician who served as the Ambassador of Mexico to the United States from 1935 to 1939.
5. Fernando Ugalde (1970-present), a Spanish professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 15 in the world in 1995.
The surname Ugalde has endured through the centuries, carrying with it the rich heritage and history of the Basque people, their language, and their cultural traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ugalde
Among Census respondents with the surname Ugalde, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ugalde 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 Ugalde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.3% · 3,169
- White6.1% · 220
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 176
- Two or more races0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ugalde
Ugalde 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
#8,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,789
+1,196 bearers (+46.1%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 2,539 places
2020
#8,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,630
-159 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,212 | 2,593 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,673 | 3,789 | 1.28 | +1,196 bearers (+46.1%) | Up 2,539 places |
| 2020 | #8,679 | 3,630 | 1.21 | -159 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 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 Ugalde 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 | #8,673 | #8,679 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,789 | 3,630 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.21 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ugalde bearers went from 3,789 to 3,630 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,673 to #8,679.
FAQ
Ugalde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ugalde?
Name Census estimates that about 4,163 living Americans carry the surname Ugalde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,333 residents.
How common is Ugalde?
Ugalde ranks #8,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,630 people with the surname Ugalde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ugalde.
Has Ugalde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ugalde went from 3,789 recorded bearers to 3,630. That is a decrease of 159 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,673 to #8,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Ugalde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ugalde, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Ugalde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (3,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ugalde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.3%), White (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Ugalde (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 Ugalde mean?
A Basque surname meaning "son of the hot coal," referring to a person who worked with fire or forges. 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 Ugalde (1.21 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 Ugalde?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.