2000
#11,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Ugarte
A Basque toponymic surname indicating a person's origins in the Ugarte area, meaning "between waters" or "river peninsula."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,553 Americans carry the last name Ugarte. That puts it at #9,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ugarte 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
3.6K
1 in 96,469
Census rank
#9,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,098 bearers of the surname Ugarte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ugarte, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ugarte
The surname Ugarte has its origins in the Basque Country, a region spanning parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Basque word "ugarte," which means "small island" or "peninsula."
One of the earliest known mentions of the surname Ugarte can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval documents from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This cartulary, dating back to the 12th century, contains references to individuals with the surname Ugarte, indicating its presence in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, the Ugarte family played a significant role in the history of the Basque Country. Several members of the family held prominent positions within the local nobility and were involved in various political and military affairs. One notable figure was Martín Ruiz de Ugarte, who served as the mayor of Bilbao in the late 1300s.
Another individual of historical importance bearing the surname Ugarte was Juan de Ugarte, a Spanish explorer and navigator from the 16th century. He participated in several expeditions to the Americas and is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the coasts of present-day Oregon and Washington State in the Pacific Northwest.
In the 17th century, the Ugarte family had a presence in various parts of Spain, including the Basque Country, Castile, and Andalusia. One prominent member of the family during this period was Domingo de Ugarte y Saravia, a military commander who served in the Spanish Armada and played a role in the defense of Cadiz against English forces in 1625.
Moving into the 18th century, the surname Ugarte gained recognition in the field of literature. José Joaquín de Ugarte y Loperena, born in 1746, was a Spanish playwright and poet who contributed to the development of the Spanish theater during the Enlightenment era.
Throughout history, the surname Ugarte has also been associated with various place names and localities within the Basque Country. For example, the town of Ugarte-Murueta in the province of Biscay and the village of Ugarte in the province of Álava both bear this name, reflecting the strong connections between the surname and the region's geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ugarte
Among Census respondents with the surname Ugarte, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ugarte 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 Ugarte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.5% · 2,773
- White8.6% · 265
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Two or more races0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ugarte
Ugarte 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
#9,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,272
+857 bearers (+35.5%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 1,988 places
2020
#9,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,098
-174 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,869 | 2,415 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,881 | 3,272 | 1.11 | +857 bearers (+35.5%) | Up 1,988 places |
| 2020 | #9,948 | 3,098 | 1.04 | -174 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 67 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 Ugarte 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 | #9,881 | #9,948 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,272 | 3,098 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.04 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ugarte bearers went from 3,272 to 3,098 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,881 to #9,948.
FAQ
Ugarte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ugarte?
Name Census estimates that about 3,553 living Americans carry the surname Ugarte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,469 residents.
How common is Ugarte?
Ugarte ranks #9,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,098 people with the surname Ugarte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,553), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Ugarte.
Has Ugarte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ugarte went from 3,272 recorded bearers to 3,098. That is a decrease of 174 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,881 to #9,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Ugarte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ugarte, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Ugarte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ugarte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.5%), White (8.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Ugarte (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 Ugarte mean?
A Basque toponymic surname indicating a person's origins in the Ugarte area, meaning "between waters" or "river peninsula." 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 Ugarte (1.04 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 Ugarte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.