2000
#3,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.02
Uncommon Last name
Vergara
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Vergara, meaning "steep hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,922 Americans carry the last name Vergara. That puts it at #2,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vergara 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vergara with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,125
Census rank
#2,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,629 bearers of the surname Vergara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vergara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%) and White (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vergara
The surname Vergara has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "vergara," which means "willow grove" or "willow plantation." The name is likely associated with a person who lived near or owned a willow grove or plantation.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Vergara can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Castile and Aragon, where it was commonly found in historical records and manuscripts. Some of the earliest known individuals with this surname include Gonzalo de Vergara, a Castilian nobleman born in 1220, and Martín de Vergara, a renowned scholar and theologian from Aragon, born in 1492.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Vergara surname became more widespread throughout Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Basque Country. One notable figure from this period was Juan de Vergara (1492-1557), a humanist scholar and one of the first translators of the Bible into Spanish.
As Spain expanded its territories through exploration and colonization, the Vergara surname spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. In Mexico, for instance, the Vergara family has a long and distinguished history, with several prominent members holding influential positions in politics, academia, and the arts.
One of the most famous individuals with the Vergara surname is Sofía Vergara, the Colombian-American actress and model born in 1972. Other notable figures throughout history include Juan Bautista Vergara (1770-1846), a Chilean politician and independence leader; Pedro Vergara Villanueva (1892-1977), a Mexican painter and muralist; and Gabriela Vergara (born 1978), a Chilean journalist and author.
In addition to Spain and Latin America, the Vergara surname has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, its roots can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it originated as a reference to willow groves or plantations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vergara
Among Census respondents with the surname Vergara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%) and White (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vergara 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 Vergara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.3% · 12,076
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.4% · 2,402
- White5.5% · 864
- Two or more races1.3% · 210
- Black or African American0.4% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vergara
Vergara 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
#2,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,618
+4,774 bearers (+44.0%)
Per 100,000 5.29
Rank movement Up 731 places
2020
#2,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,629
+11 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 5.23
Rank movement Up 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,063 | 10,844 | 4.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,332 | 15,618 | 5.29 | +4,774 bearers (+44.0%) | Up 731 places |
| 2020 | #2,268 | 15,629 | 5.23 | +11 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 64 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 Vergara 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 | #2,332 | #2,268 | 2.7% |
| Count | 15,618 | 15,629 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.29 | 5.23 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vergara bearers went from 15,618 to 15,629 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,332 to #2,268.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vergara
FAQ
Vergara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vergara?
Name Census estimates that about 17,922 living Americans carry the surname Vergara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,125 residents.
How common is Vergara?
Vergara ranks #2,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,629 people with the surname Vergara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Vergara.
Has Vergara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vergara went from 15,618 recorded bearers to 15,629. That is an increase of 11 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,332 to #2,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Vergara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vergara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%) and White (5.5%). 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 Vergara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (12,076 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vergara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%), White (5.5%). 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 Vergara (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 Vergara mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Vergara, meaning "steep hill." 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 Vergara (5.23 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 Vergara?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.