2000
#25,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Urquidez
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "urki" meaning "plow" or "furrow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,303 Americans carry the last name Urquidez. That puts it at #23,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 263,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urquidez 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
1.3K
1 in 263,050
Census rank
#23,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,136 bearers of the surname Urquidez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquidez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urquidez
The surname Urquidez has its origins in Spain, where it emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Basque words "urki," meaning "walnut," and "di," a possessive particle, essentially translating to "the walnut." This suggests the name may have originally been associated with individuals who lived near walnut trees or cultivated walnuts.
The name Urquidez is believed to have first appeared in records as early as the 13th century in the Basque region of northern Spain. It was likely initially used to identify individuals from specific locations or villages where walnut trees were abundant.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in a 14th-century manuscript detailing land ownership in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa. The record mentions a certain Juan Urquidez, who owned several acres of land near the town of Azpeitia.
In the 16th century, the name began to spread beyond the Basque region as families migrated to other parts of Spain and its colonies in the Americas. Notable individuals bearing the surname Urquidez include:
1. Diego Urquidez (c. 1520-1590), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro.
2. María Urquidez (1645-1721), a renowned Spanish painter known for her religious artwork.
3. Javier Urquidez (1759-1832), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Ramón Urquidez (1892-1966), a Mexican writer and poet who was part of the Mexican Renaissance literary movement.
5. Benny Urquidez (born 1952), an American kickboxer and martial artist of Basque descent, known as "The Jet" for his fast and powerful techniques.
While the surname Urquidez is relatively uncommon outside of Spain and Latin America, it has persisted for centuries and continues to be associated with its Basque heritage and the historical significance of walnut cultivation in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urquidez
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquidez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Urquidez 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 Urquidez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.9% · 1,010
- White8.6% · 98
- Two or more races0.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urquidez
Urquidez 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
#22,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,117
+187 bearers (+20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 2,135 places
2020
#23,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,136
+19 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,041 | 930 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,906 | 1,117 | 0.38 | +187 bearers (+20.1%) | Up 2,135 places |
| 2020 | #23,117 | 1,136 | 0.38 | +19 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 211 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 Urquidez 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 | #22,906 | #23,117 | -0.9% |
| Count | 1,117 | 1,136 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.38 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urquidez bearers went from 1,117 to 1,136 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,906 to #23,117.
FAQ
Urquidez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urquidez?
Name Census estimates that about 1,303 living Americans carry the surname Urquidez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 263,050 residents.
How common is Urquidez?
Urquidez ranks #23,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,136 people with the surname Urquidez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Urquidez.
Has Urquidez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urquidez went from 1,117 recorded bearers to 1,136. That is an increase of 19 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,906 to #23,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Urquidez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquidez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Urquidez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (1,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urquidez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.9%), White (8.6%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Urquidez (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 Urquidez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "urki" meaning "plow" or "furrow". 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 Urquidez (0.38 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 Urquidez?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Urquidez is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.