2000
#2,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.98
Uncommon Last name
Barraza
A Basque occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold clay jars or pots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,876 Americans carry the last name Barraza. That puts it at #2,039 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barraza 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
20K
1 in 17,245
Census rank
#2,039
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,333 bearers of the surname Barraza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2039th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barraza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barraza
The surname Barraza is of Spanish origin, originating in regions of Spain such as Andalusia and Extremadura. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "barraza," which means a small ravine or gully. The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked in such a geographical feature.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Barraza date back to the 16th century in various regions of Spain. As Spanish exploration and colonization expanded, the name was carried to the Americas, particularly to Mexico and other areas of Central and South America.
One of the earliest known references to the Barraza name can be found in the chronicles of the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo, who led expeditions to the Yucatán Peninsula in the early 16th century. Among his companions was a soldier named Juan Barraza, who is mentioned in accounts of the conquest of the Maya civilization.
During the colonial era in Mexico, several notable individuals bore the Barraza surname. One example is Juan de Barraza, a military officer and governor of the province of Tabasco in the late 16th century. Another is Diego de Barraza, a priest and author who wrote about the indigenous languages and customs of Mexico in the early 17th century.
In the 19th century, José María Barraza was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a prominent role in the Mexican-American War and the Reform War. He served as governor of the state of Zacatecas and was known for his defense of liberal principles.
In Spain, one of the most famous individuals with the Barraza surname was Gaspar de Barraza y Ladrón de Guevara, a 17th-century bishop and scholar who served as the Bishop of Segovia and wrote extensively on theological and philosophical topics.
Other notable individuals with the Barraza surname include the 20th-century Mexican writer and poet José Barraza, the Chilean painter Juan Barraza, and the Argentine footballer Héctor Barraza, who played for several clubs in the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barraza
Among Census respondents with the surname Barraza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Barraza 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 Barraza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 16,426
- White4.2% · 730
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 52
- Two or more races0.2% · 34
- Black or African American0.1% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barraza
Barraza 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
#2,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,030
+4,600 bearers (+34.3%)
Per 100,000 6.11
Rank movement Up 459 places
2020
#2,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,333
-697 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.80
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,463 | 13,430 | 4.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,004 | 18,030 | 6.11 | +4,600 bearers (+34.3%) | Up 459 places |
| 2020 | #2,039 | 17,333 | 5.80 | -697 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 35 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 Barraza 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 | #2,004 | #2,039 | -1.7% |
| Count | 18,030 | 17,333 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.11 | 5.80 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barraza bearers went from 18,030 to 17,333 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,004 to #2,039.
FAQ
Barraza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barraza?
Name Census estimates that about 19,876 living Americans carry the surname Barraza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,245 residents.
How common is Barraza?
Barraza ranks #2,039 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,333 people with the surname Barraza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,876), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Barraza.
Has Barraza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barraza went from 18,030 recorded bearers to 17,333. That is a decrease of 697 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,004 to #2,039.
What does the Census say about the background of Barraza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barraza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Barraza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (16,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barraza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (4.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Barraza (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 Barraza mean?
A Basque occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold clay jars or pots. 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 Barraza (5.80 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 Barraza?
See how many people are called Barraza on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.