2000
#68
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 97.71
Common Last name
Gomez
A Spanish patronymic surname derived from the given name Gomes, meaning "man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 422,239 Americans carry the last name Gomez. That puts it at #49 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 123.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gomez 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 Gomez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
422K
1 in 812
Census rank
#49
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
123.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
368K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 368,213 bearers of the surname Gomez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 123.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gomez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gomez
The surname Gomez originated in Spain and has its roots in the Spanish and Portuguese languages. It is derived from the medieval Spanish given name "Gomes," which in turn comes from the ancient Germanic name "Guminus" or "Gominus," meaning "man" or "person."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gomez can be traced back to the 10th century in the regions of Galicia and Asturias in northwestern Spain. The name appears in medieval documents and records from that time period, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Gomes or Gomiz.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Count Gomez Diaz, a prominent figure in the 10th century who served as the governor of Saldaña and Carrión. He is mentioned in the Codex of Roda, an important medieval manuscript from the 11th century.
During the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors, the surname Gomez became associated with noble and influential families in Spain. One notable example is Gonzalo Gómez de Cervantes, a 15th-century Spanish military leader and nobleman who served under King Juan II of Castile.
In the 16th century, the Gomez surname gained further prominence with the explorer and conquistador Hernán Gómez de Salazar, who participated in the Spanish conquest of Mexico and served as a captain under Hernán Cortés.
Another historically significant figure with the surname Gomez was Juan Gómez de Mora, a renowned Spanish architect and sculptor from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Madrid, including parts of the Royal Alcázar and the Plaza Mayor.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Gomez spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the Philippines. One notable bearer of the name was José Gómez Ortega, a Spanish botanist and explorer who lived in the 18th century and contributed to the study of flora in Mexico and Cuba.
Over time, the surname Gomez has evolved and diversified, with various spelling variations emerging in different regions and languages. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic roots and the medieval Spanish context, where it was borne by individuals of nobility and distinction.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gomez
Among Census respondents with the surname Gomez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gomez 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 Gomez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 338,814
- White5.3% · 19,381
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 4,345
- Black or African American0.8% · 3,087
- Two or more races0.4% · 1,474
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1,112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gomez
Gomez 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
#51
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 365,655
+102,065 bearers (+38.7%)
Per 100,000 123.96
Rank movement Up 17 places
2020
#49
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 368,213
+2,558 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 123.19
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68 | 263,590 | 97.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51 | 365,655 | 123.96 | +102,065 bearers (+38.7%) | Up 17 places |
| 2020 | #49 | 368,213 | 123.19 | +2,558 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 2 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 Gomez 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 | #51 | #49 | 3.9% |
| Count | 365,655 | 368,213 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 123.96 | 123.19 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gomez bearers went from 365,655 to 368,213 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #51 to #49.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gomez
FAQ
Gomez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gomez?
Name Census estimates that about 422,239 living Americans carry the surname Gomez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 812 residents.
How common is Gomez?
Gomez ranks #49 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 123.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 123 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 368,213 people with the surname Gomez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (422,239), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 123.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 123.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 123 of them to have the surname Gomez.
Has Gomez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gomez went from 365,655 recorded bearers to 368,213. That is an increase of 2,558 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #51 to #49.
What does the Census say about the background of Gomez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gomez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Gomez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (338,814 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gomez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (5.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Gomez (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 Gomez mean?
A Spanish patronymic surname derived from the given name Gomes, meaning "man." 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 Gomez (123.19 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 Gomez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.