2000
#38,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 536
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Urgiles
A Spanish surname possibly derived from the word "urgir" meaning to urge or incite.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,204 Americans carry the last name Urgiles. That puts it at #24,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 284,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urgiles 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
1.2K
1 in 284,680
Census rank
#24,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,050 bearers of the surname Urgiles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urgiles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urgiles
The surname Urgiles is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It can be traced back to the 13th century, and is believed to have derived from the Catalan word "urgellenc," which refers to someone from the town of Urgell or the historical region of Urgell.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Urgiles surname can be found in the census records of the village of Balaguer, located in the province of Lleida, dated around 1275. These records mention a certain Pere Urgiles, a landowner and farmer in the area.
In the 14th century, the Urgiles family had established themselves as prominent citizens in the city of Barcelona. Historical documents from this period mention a Joan Urgiles, a successful merchant who traded with Italian cities like Genoa and Venice.
During the 15th century, the Urgiles surname appeared in several official records and documents related to the Kingdom of Aragon. One notable individual was Ferran Urgiles, a military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the region of Valencia.
The 16th century saw the Urgiles family spread across different parts of Spain, with some members even migrating to the Americas during the Spanish colonization period. One of the earliest recorded examples of this is Hernando Urgiles, who was born in Seville in 1532 and later became a prominent landowner in the Spanish colony of New Spain (present-day Mexico).
In the 18th century, the Urgiles surname was also found in the Spanish territories of the Philippines. Historical records from the island of Luzon mention a Padre Miguel Urgiles, a Catholic priest who played a significant role in the establishment of several missions and churches in the region.
As the centuries passed, the Urgiles surname continued to be present in various parts of Spain and its former colonies, with individuals from this family making contributions in fields such as arts, literature, and politics. Some notable figures include the 19th-century Spanish poet and playwright Ramón Urgiles y García (1827-1891), and the 20th-century Ecuadorian politician and diplomat José Urgiles Valverde (1901-1978).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urgiles
Among Census respondents with the surname Urgiles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Urgiles 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 Urgiles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.3% · 1,011
- White3.3% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
- Two or more races0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urgiles
Urgiles 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
#24,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,034
+498 bearers (+92.9%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 14,511 places
2020
#24,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,050
+16 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,771 | 536 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,260 | 1,034 | 0.35 | +498 bearers (+92.9%) | Up 14,511 places |
| 2020 | #24,781 | 1,050 | 0.35 | +16 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 521 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 Urgiles 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 | #24,260 | #24,781 | -2.1% |
| Count | 1,034 | 1,050 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urgiles bearers went from 1,034 to 1,050 (+1.5% change). The surname moved down 521 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,260 to #24,781.
FAQ
Urgiles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urgiles?
Name Census estimates that about 1,204 living Americans carry the surname Urgiles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 284,680 residents.
How common is Urgiles?
Urgiles ranks #24,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,050 people with the surname Urgiles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Urgiles.
Has Urgiles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urgiles went from 1,034 recorded bearers to 1,050. That is an increase of 16 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,260 to #24,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Urgiles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urgiles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Urgiles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (1,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urgiles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.3%), White (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Urgiles (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 Urgiles mean?
A Spanish surname possibly derived from the word "urgir" meaning to urge or incite. 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 Urgiles (0.35 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 last name Urgiles?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Urgiles at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.