2000
#5,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Urias
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Uriah, meaning "God is my light" or "flame of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,019 Americans carry the last name Urias. That puts it at #4,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,004 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urias 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
9.0K
1 in 38,004
Census rank
#4,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,865 bearers of the surname Urias in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urias
The surname URIAS is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin name "Uriah," which was derived from the Hebrew name "Uriyah," meaning "the Lord is my light." This name was borne by a Hittite soldier mentioned in the Bible.
The earliest recorded instances of the name URIAS date back to the 12th century in Aragon, a region in northeastern Spain. It is possible that the surname was adopted by Jewish families who settled in this area after being expelled from other parts of Europe. The name may have also been adopted by converts to Christianity during the Reconquista period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname URIAS was Rodrigo Urias, a nobleman who lived in Zaragoza, Spain, during the 13th century. Historical records indicate that he was a prominent figure in the court of King James I of Aragon (1208-1276).
In the 14th century, the surname URIAS appeared in various local records and manuscripts across Spain, including the Libro de la Cadena, a historical document from the city of Jaca in Aragon. This document mentions several individuals with the surname URIAS, suggesting that the name had become well-established in the region by that time.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the URIAS surname spread throughout Spain and its territories. Notable figures from this period include Juan Urias (c. 1480-1550), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés, and Fray Alonso Urias (1531-1599), a Franciscan friar and missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization of New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of the United States).
In the 17th century, the URIAS surname appeared in various parts of Latin America, reflecting the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Urias de la Vega (1631-1703), a Spanish nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor of Chile from 1688 to 1694.
Throughout history, the URIAS surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Urías, Urrías, and Urría. It has also been associated with certain place names in Spain, such as Uría (a municipality in Asturias) and Uriarte (a small town in the Basque Country).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urias
Among Census respondents with the surname Urias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Urias 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 Urias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 7,241
- White6.6% · 520
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
- Two or more races0.3% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urias
Urias 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
#4,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,941
+2,084 bearers (+35.6%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Up 992 places
2020
#4,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,865
-76 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,463 | 5,857 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,471 | 7,941 | 2.69 | +2,084 bearers (+35.6%) | Up 992 places |
| 2020 | #4,359 | 7,865 | 2.63 | -76 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 112 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 Urias 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 | #4,471 | #4,359 | 2.5% |
| Count | 7,941 | 7,865 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.69 | 2.63 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urias bearers went from 7,941 to 7,865 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,471 to #4,359.
FAQ
Urias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urias?
Name Census estimates that about 9,019 living Americans carry the surname Urias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,004 residents.
How common is Urias?
Urias ranks #4,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,865 people with the surname Urias. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Urias.
Has Urias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urias went from 7,941 recorded bearers to 7,865. That is a decrease of 76 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,471 to #4,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Urias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urias, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Urias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (7,241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (6.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Urias (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 Urias mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Uriah, meaning "God is my light" or "flame of God." 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 Urias (2.63 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 Americans have the surname Urias?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.