2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vaquer
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "cowherd" or "cattle rancher".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Vaquer. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaquer 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Vaquer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaquer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (21.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaquer
The surname VAQUER has its origins in Spain and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Catalan word "vaquera," which means "cowherd" or "cattle rancher." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in the cattle industry or worked as cowherds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VAQUER can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, where a certain Guillem Vaquer is mentioned in a land grant document dated 1367. This document refers to Vaquer as a prominent cattle rancher in the region.
During the 15th century, the VAQUER surname spread across Spain, particularly in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia. Historical records from this period, such as tax rolls and parish registers, indicate that the name was well-established in these areas.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the VAQUER surname was Joan Vaquer, a Catalan merchant and explorer who was part of an expedition to the Americas in 1521. He is believed to have settled in what is now Mexico and played a role in the early colonization efforts in the region.
Another prominent individual with the VAQUER surname was Francesc Vaquer, a Catalan painter who lived from 1583 to 1655. He was known for his religious works and was commissioned to create several altarpieces for churches in Barcelona and its surrounding areas.
During the 17th century, the VAQUER name appeared in various parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Castile. One notable bearer of the name was Diego Vaquer, a Spanish military officer who participated in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and later served as a governor in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the VAQUER surname was Marià Vaquer, a Catalan architect who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Barcelona, including the Palau de la Virreina and the Church of Santa Maria del Mar.
As the VAQUER surname spread across Spain and its territories, it also found its way to other parts of the world through Spanish exploration and colonization efforts. Today, the name can be found in various Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America, where it has undergone various spelling variations and adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaquer
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaquer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (21.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaquer 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 Vaquer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.0% · 94
- White21.0% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaquer
Vaquer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,353 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,353 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 Vaquer 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 | #144,141 | #142,788 | 0.9% |
| Count | 115 | 119 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaquer bearers went from 115 to 119 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,353 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,788.
FAQ
Vaquer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaquer?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Vaquer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Vaquer?
Vaquer ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Vaquer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Vaquer.
Has Vaquer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaquer went from 115 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaquer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaquer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (21.0%). 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 Vaquer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaquer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.0%), White (21.0%). 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 Vaquer (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 Vaquer mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "cowherd" or "cattle rancher". 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 Vaquer (0.04 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 surname Vaquer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.