2000
#3,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,511
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.90
Uncommon Last name
Urbina
Derived from a place name referring to someone who came from any of various towns called Urbina in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,974 Americans carry the last name Urbina. That puts it at #2,260 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,069 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urbina 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
18K
1 in 19,069
Census rank
#2,260
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,674 bearers of the surname Urbina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2260th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urbina
The surname Urbina originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Basque word "uri," meaning "town" or "city," and the suffix "-ena," indicating possession or belonging. The name Urbina likely referred to someone who lived in or was associated with a particular town or city.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Urbina can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that served as a guide for pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago. This document mentions a "Johannes de Urbina" who lived in the town of Urbina, located in the Basque province of Álava.
The name Urbina has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 15th century, Juan de Urbina was a prominent Spanish diplomat and ambassador to the court of King Henry VII of England. Another Juan de Urbina, born in 1536, was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Urbina surname spread across Spain and its colonies in the Americas. Gaspar de Urbina, born in 1570, was a Spanish explorer and navigator who established settlements in present-day Chile and Argentina. In the 17th century, Diego de Urbina served as the governor of the Spanish province of Nueva Vizcaya (now part of Mexico) from 1634 to 1638.
In the 19th century, Ramón Urbina (1808-1886) was a prominent Mexican military leader and politician who served as the president of Mexico from 1853 to 1855. He played a significant role in the Reform War and the struggle against the French intervention in Mexico.
The Urbina surname has also been found in various historical records and documents, such as parish registers, census records, and land deeds, further attesting to its long-standing presence in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urbina
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Urbina 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 Urbina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 14,665
- White4.6% · 723
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 131
- Black or African American0.5% · 74
- Two or more races0.3% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urbina
Urbina 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
#2,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,055
+4,544 bearers (+43.2%)
Per 100,000 5.10
Rank movement Up 736 places
2020
#2,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,674
+619 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 5.24
Rank movement Up 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,145 | 10,511 | 3.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,409 | 15,055 | 5.10 | +4,544 bearers (+43.2%) | Up 736 places |
| 2020 | #2,260 | 15,674 | 5.24 | +619 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 149 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 Urbina 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 | #2,409 | #2,260 | 6.2% |
| Count | 15,055 | 15,674 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.10 | 5.24 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urbina bearers went from 15,055 to 15,674 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,409 to #2,260.
FAQ
Urbina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urbina?
Name Census estimates that about 17,974 living Americans carry the surname Urbina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,069 residents.
How common is Urbina?
Urbina ranks #2,260 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,674 people with the surname Urbina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,974), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Urbina.
Has Urbina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urbina went from 15,055 recorded bearers to 15,674. That is an increase of 619 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,409 to #2,260.
What does the Census say about the background of Urbina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Urbina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (14,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urbina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Urbina (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 Urbina mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who came from any of various towns called Urbina in Spain. 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 Urbina (5.24 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 common is the surname Urbina?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Urbina, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.