2000
#10,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Ulibarri
Of Basque origin, derived from a place name meaning "town of the fountains" or "place of springs."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,282 Americans carry the last name Ulibarri. That puts it at #10,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulibarri 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
3.3K
1 in 104,435
Census rank
#10,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,862 bearers of the surname Ulibarri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulibarri, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulibarri
The surname Ulibarri originates from the Basque region of Spain and France, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Basque words "uri" meaning town and "barri" meaning new, suggesting a connection to a new settlement or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the Ulibarri surname can be found in Spanish and French ecclesiastical records from the late 1500s. One of the earliest known bearers was Juan de Ulibarri, a Basque merchant born in 1572 who traded goods between Spain and the Netherlands.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various municipal archives and land records in the Basque provinces of Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa. A notable figure from this period was Pedro de Ulibarri, a shipbuilder from San Sebastián who constructed vessels for the Spanish Armada in the 1660s.
The Ulibarri surname also has ties to the Basque diaspora in the New World. In 1598, Diego de Ulibarri was one of the founders of the settlement of San Juan de los Caballeros in what is now New Mexico, United States. His descendants played a significant role in the early exploration and colonization of the American Southwest.
Another prominent individual was Juan de Ulibarri, a Spanish military officer and explorer born in 1662. He led several expeditions into present-day Colorado and New Mexico, mapping territories and engaging with indigenous populations.
In the 18th century, the name can be found in various Basque communities across Europe. Martín de Ulibarri, born in 1705, was a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in northern Spain.
Throughout history, the Ulibarri surname has been associated with notable figures in various fields, including politics, arts, and academia. Manuel Ulibarri (1822-1889) was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Cortes Generales, while Ignacio Ulibarri (1879-1944) was a celebrated Basque painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulibarri
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulibarri, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulibarri 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 Ulibarri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.1% · 2,121
- White22.8% · 653
- Two or more races1.1% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulibarri
Ulibarri 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
#10,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,013
+89 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 493 places
2020
#10,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,862
-151 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,135 | 2,924 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,628 | 3,013 | 1.02 | +89 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 493 places |
| 2020 | #10,659 | 2,862 | 0.96 | -151 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 31 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 Ulibarri 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 | #10,628 | #10,659 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,013 | 2,862 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.96 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulibarri bearers went from 3,013 to 2,862 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,628 to #10,659.
FAQ
Ulibarri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulibarri?
Name Census estimates that about 3,282 living Americans carry the surname Ulibarri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,435 residents.
How common is Ulibarri?
Ulibarri ranks #10,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,862 people with the surname Ulibarri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Ulibarri.
Has Ulibarri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulibarri went from 3,013 recorded bearers to 2,862. That is a decrease of 151 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,628 to #10,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulibarri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulibarri, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Ulibarri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (2,121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulibarri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.1%), White (22.8%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Ulibarri (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 Ulibarri mean?
Of Basque origin, derived from a place name meaning "town of the fountains" or "place of springs." 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 Ulibarri (0.96 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 surname Ulibarri?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.