2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ureche
A Romanian surname derived from the anatomical term meaning "ear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Ureche. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ureche 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
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Ureche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ureche, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ureche
The surname "URECHE" originates from Romania, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Romanian word "ureche," meaning "ear," which could suggest an occupation or physical characteristic associated with the name's initial bearers.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name "URECHE" can be found in the historical chronicles of Grigore Ureche, a Romanian nobleman and chronicler who lived from around 1590 to 1647. His work, "Letopisețul Țării Moldovei" (The Chronicle of the Land of Moldavia), is a significant source of information about the history of medieval Moldavia.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Nestor Ureche, a Romanian writer and historian who lived from 1510 to 1597. He is renowned for his work "Cronica Paralelă a Țării Românești și a Moldovei" (Parallel Chronicle of Wallachia and Moldavia), which provides valuable insights into the history of the Romanian principalities during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Ion Ureche, a Moldavian boyar and diplomat, played a vital role in the political and diplomatic affairs of the region. He served as a representative of the Principality of Moldavia in negotiations with neighboring states and the Ottoman Empire.
Moving forward, Gheorghe Ureche, born in 1808 and died in 1873, was a Romanian politician and soldier who participated in the Wallachian Revolution of 1848 and later served as a member of the Romanian Parliament.
Lastly, Alexandru Ureche, born in 1834 and died in 1909, was a prominent Romanian historian and author known for his works on the history of Moldavia and the Romanian principalities.
While the surname "URECHE" is not as common today as it once was, it remains an important part of Romania's cultural and historical heritage, with its origins deeply rooted in the country's rich past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ureche
Among Census respondents with the surname Ureche, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ureche 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 Ureche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 124
- Black or African American3.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 5
- Two or more races1.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ureche
Ureche 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+24 bearers (+21.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 11,501 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,078 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +24 bearers (+21.2%) | Up 11,501 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 5,078 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 Ureche 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 | #125,282 | #130,360 | -4.1% |
| Count | 137 | 136 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ureche bearers went from 137 to 136 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 5,078 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #130,360.
FAQ
Ureche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ureche?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Ureche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Ureche?
Ureche ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 136 people with the surname Ureche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Ureche.
Has Ureche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ureche went from 137 recorded bearers to 136. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Ureche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ureche, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ureche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ureche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Black (3.7%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Ureche (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 Ureche mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the anatomical term meaning "ear". 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 Ureche (0.05 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 Ureche?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.