2000
#43,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Rare Last name
Urquilla
A surname derived from the Latin word "urquillus," meaning a small water vessel or jug.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,171 Americans carry the last name Urquilla. That puts it at #25,376 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 292,702 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urquilla 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 292,702
Census rank
#25,376
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,021 bearers of the surname Urquilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25376th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urquilla
The surname Urquilla has its origins in Spain, emerging in the late medieval period, around the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "urquía," which refers to an oak tree, suggesting a connection to a place or region known for its oak forests or groves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Urquilla can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a man named Juan de Urquilla is mentioned in a legal document dated 1432. This document pertains to a land dispute, indicating that the Urquilla family may have been landowners or associated with agricultural activities.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records from the region of Andalusia, particularly in the provinces of Seville and Huelva. During this time, a notable figure named Diego de Urquilla is mentioned in a chronicle as a respected merchant and influential citizen of the city of Cádiz.
As the Spanish empire expanded in the Americas during the colonial era, some individuals bearing the surname Urquilla migrated to the New World. One such example is Francisco de Urquilla, born in 1587 in Seville, who later settled in the city of Cartagena de Indias (modern-day Colombia) and became a prominent landowner and cattle rancher.
In the 18th century, the Urquilla surname gained prominence in the region of Extremadura, where a family of that name held significant landholdings and influence. One notable member was José Urquilla y Montoya (1712-1789), a wealthy landowner and local politician who served as a council member in the city of Badajoz.
Another historical figure with the surname Urquilla was Mariana Urquilla (1782-1857), a renowned Spanish painter and portraitist who was born in Seville and gained recognition for her works depicting religious and historical subjects. Her paintings can be found in various museums and churches throughout Spain.
While the surname Urquilla is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries and regions of Spain, with connections to landowners, merchants, artists, and influential figures in various spheres of society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urquilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Urquilla 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 Urquilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.0% · 990
- White2.1% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
- Two or more races0.2% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urquilla
Urquilla 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
#29,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 810
+344 bearers (+73.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 14,398 places
2020
#25,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,021
+211 bearers (+26.0%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 3,855 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,629 | 466 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,231 | 810 | 0.27 | +344 bearers (+73.8%) | Up 14,398 places |
| 2020 | #25,376 | 1,021 | 0.34 | +211 bearers (+26.0%) | Up 3,855 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 Urquilla 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 | #29,231 | #25,376 | 13.2% |
| Count | 810 | 1,021 | 26.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.34 | 26.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urquilla bearers went from 810 to 1,021 (+26.0% change). The surname moved up 3,855 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,231 to #25,376.
FAQ
Urquilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urquilla?
Name Census estimates that about 1,171 living Americans carry the surname Urquilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 292,702 residents.
How common is Urquilla?
Urquilla ranks #25,376 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,021 people with the surname Urquilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Urquilla.
Has Urquilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urquilla went from 810 recorded bearers to 1,021. That is an increase of 211 (+26.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #29,231 to #25,376.
What does the Census say about the background of Urquilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urquilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (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 Urquilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urquilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.0%), White (2.1%), Black (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 Urquilla (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 Urquilla mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "urquillus," meaning a small water vessel or jug. 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 Urquilla (0.34 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 are called Urquilla?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Urquilla at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.