2000
#291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 94,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 34.90
Common Last name
Guerrero
A Spanish occupational surname meaning "warrior" or "soldier."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143,603 Americans carry the last name Guerrero. That puts it at #240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 41.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guerrero 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 Guerrero with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
144K
1 in 2,387
Census rank
#240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
41.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125,229 bearers of the surname Guerrero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 41.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guerrero
The surname Guerrero originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "guerra," meaning "war," and refers to someone who was a skilled warrior or soldier. The name likely emerged during the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle between Christian and Moorish rulers for control of the Iberian Peninsula.
Guerrero was initially concentrated in the regions of Andalusia, Castile, and Extremadura, areas that were heavily involved in the Reconquista campaigns. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in 13th-century records from these regions, often referring to soldiers or military officers.
One notable early bearer of the name was Alonso Guerrero, a 15th-century Spanish soldier who fought in the Conquest of Granada, the final phase of the Reconquista. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas and beyond, the Guerrero surname spread to various parts of the world. In Mexico, for instance, the name can be traced back to the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors and settlers brought it to the region.
During the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821), several individuals with the Guerrero surname played significant roles, including Vicente Guerrero, a revolutionary leader and one of the most prominent figures in the conflict. He later became the second President of Mexico, serving from 1829 until his execution in 1831.
Another historical figure bearing the Guerrero name was María Guerrero, a renowned Spanish actress and theater director who lived from 1867 to 1928. She was highly influential in the development of modern Spanish theater and is considered one of the most important figures in her field.
In the realm of literature, the Mexican author Xavier Guerrero (1896-1974) gained recognition for his novels and short stories, which often explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class.
Moving to the present day, notable individuals with the Guerrero surname include Eduardo Guerrero, a Mexican artist and sculptor born in 1935, whose works have been exhibited internationally, and Maribel Guerrero, a Mexican actress born in 1979 who has appeared in numerous films and television shows.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guerrero
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Guerrero 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 Guerrero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.2% · 114,230
- White5.0% · 6,256
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3,108
- Two or more races0.6% · 715
- Black or African American0.5% · 572
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 348
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guerrero
Guerrero 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
#234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128,677
+34,525 bearers (+36.7%)
Per 100,000 43.62
Rank movement Up 57 places
2020
#240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125,229
-3,448 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 41.90
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #291 | 94,152 | 34.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #234 | 128,677 | 43.62 | +34,525 bearers (+36.7%) | Up 57 places |
| 2020 | #240 | 125,229 | 41.90 | -3,448 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6 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 Guerrero 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 | #234 | #240 | -2.6% |
| Count | 128,677 | 125,229 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 43.62 | 41.90 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guerrero bearers went from 128,677 to 125,229 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #234 to #240.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Guerrero
FAQ
Guerrero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guerrero?
Name Census estimates that about 143,603 living Americans carry the surname Guerrero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,387 residents.
How common is Guerrero?
Guerrero ranks #240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 41.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 42 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 125,229 people with the surname Guerrero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143,603), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 41.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 41.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 42 of them to have the surname Guerrero.
Has Guerrero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guerrero went from 128,677 recorded bearers to 125,229. That is a decrease of 3,448 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #234 to #240.
What does the Census say about the background of Guerrero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Guerrero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (114,230 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guerrero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.2%), White (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Guerrero (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 Guerrero mean?
A Spanish occupational surname meaning "warrior" or "soldier." 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 Guerrero (41.90 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 last name Guerrero?
Find out how many people have the surname Guerrero on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.