2000
#8,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,570
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Vizcarra
A Basque habitational surname indicating a person who lived near a prominent hill or old place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,388 Americans carry the last name Vizcarra. That puts it at #6,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,614 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vizcarra 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
5.4K
1 in 63,614
Census rank
#6,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,699 bearers of the surname Vizcarra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vizcarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and White (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vizcarra
The surname Vizcarra has its origins in the Basque region of Spain, specifically in the province of Vizcaya (Biscay). The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 10th and 13th centuries. It is derived from the Basque words "bizkar" meaning "ridge" or "slope" and "a" meaning "the," referring to a person who lived on or near a ridge or sloped area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Vizcarra can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 11th century. This document contains records of land grants and other transactions involving individuals with the surname Vizcarra, suggesting the name's presence in the region during that time.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a document that recorded the legal status of towns and villages in Castile and León. This indicates that individuals with the surname Vizcarra held properties or had some form of legal recognition in these areas.
One notable figure from history bearing the surname Vizcarra was Pedro Vizcarra, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century. He was born around 1500 in Vizcaya and accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to the Inca Empire.
Another prominent individual was Juan Bautista Vizcarra, a Spanish architect and engineer who lived in the late 18th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in Mexico City, including the Church of San Camilo and the Church of Santo Domingo.
In the 19th century, José María Vizcarra y Dávalos was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a role in the Mexican War of Independence. He was born in 1789 in Jalisco and served as a general in the insurgent forces led by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
During the 20th century, Ramón Vizcarra Ponce was a prominent Peruvian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and Worship in the 1960s. He was born in 1910 in Lima and played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of Peru.
Another notable figure with the surname Vizcarra is Luis Vizcarra, a Spanish artist and sculptor active in the late 20th century. He was born in 1946 in Seville and is known for his works in various mediums, including sculpture, painting, and ceramics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vizcarra
Among Census respondents with the surname Vizcarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and White (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vizcarra 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 Vizcarra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 4,199
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 269
- White4.0% · 188
- Two or more races0.6% · 30
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vizcarra
Vizcarra 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
#6,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,946
+1,376 bearers (+38.5%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 1,683 places
2020
#6,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,699
-247 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,502 | 3,570 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,819 | 4,946 | 1.68 | +1,376 bearers (+38.5%) | Up 1,683 places |
| 2020 | #6,888 | 4,699 | 1.57 | -247 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 69 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 Vizcarra 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 | #6,819 | #6,888 | -1.0% |
| Count | 4,946 | 4,699 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.57 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vizcarra bearers went from 4,946 to 4,699 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,819 to #6,888.
FAQ
Vizcarra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vizcarra?
Name Census estimates that about 5,388 living Americans carry the surname Vizcarra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,614 residents.
How common is Vizcarra?
Vizcarra ranks #6,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,699 people with the surname Vizcarra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,388), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vizcarra.
Has Vizcarra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vizcarra went from 4,946 recorded bearers to 4,699. That is a decrease of 247 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,819 to #6,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Vizcarra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vizcarra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and White (4.0%). 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 Vizcarra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (4,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vizcarra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%), White (4.0%). 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 Vizcarra (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 Vizcarra mean?
A Basque habitational surname indicating a person who lived near a prominent hill or old place. 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 Vizcarra (1.57 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 Vizcarra?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.