2000
#1,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.43
Uncommon Last name
Guevara
A Basque occupational surname referring to an arms manufacturer or supplier, derived from "gebar" meaning "arms" or "weapons."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 55,620 Americans carry the last name Guevara. That puts it at #687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guevara 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
56K
1 in 6,162
Census rank
#687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 48,503 bearers of the surname Guevara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guevara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guevara
The surname Guevara has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "gebara," which means "hawk" or "falcon." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked with these birds, possibly in falconry.
The earliest recorded instances of the Guevara surname can be traced back to the 9th century in the region of Álava, Spain. During this time, the name appeared in various medieval documents and manuscripts, often associated with prominent noble families and landowners.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the Guevara name was Iñigo Beltrán de Guevara, a nobleman who lived in the 11th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of the Kingdom of Navarre and played a significant role in the region's political and military affairs.
The Guevara family gained further prominence in the 13th century when they acquired the Lordship of Oñate, a territory located in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. This event solidified their status as a powerful noble family in the region.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals with the Guevara surname have left their mark on history. One such figure was Íñigo de Guevara (1412-1497), a Spanish writer and diplomat who served as a courtier to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile.
Another prominent Guevara was Rodrigo de Guevara (1480-1540), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He played a crucial role in several important battles and was later appointed as the governor of Nueva Galicia, a territory in present-day western Mexico.
In the 20th century, the name Guevara gained international recognition due to Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967), the renowned Marxist revolutionary and guerrilla leader. He played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution and became an iconic figure in the global struggle against imperialism and capitalism.
Other notable individuals with the Guevara surname include Juan de Guevara (1524-1600), a Spanish writer and diplomat, and Antonio de Guevara (1480-1545), a Spanish chronicler and moralist who served as a chaplain to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
The Guevara surname has been present in various regions of Spain and Latin America throughout history, reflecting the migration and influence of the Basque people over time. While its popularity may have fluctuated, the name continues to carry a rich heritage and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guevara
Among Census respondents with the surname Guevara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Guevara 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 Guevara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.6% · 44,431
- White4.4% · 2,136
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 1,278
- Black or African American0.6% · 310
- Two or more races0.5% · 250
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guevara
Guevara 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
#746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,454
+15,610 bearers (+50.6%)
Per 100,000 15.75
Rank movement Up 293 places
2020
#687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,503
+2,049 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 16.23
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,039 | 30,844 | 11.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #746 | 46,454 | 15.75 | +15,610 bearers (+50.6%) | Up 293 places |
| 2020 | #687 | 48,503 | 16.23 | +2,049 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 59 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 Guevara 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 | #746 | #687 | 7.9% |
| Count | 46,454 | 48,503 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 15.75 | 16.23 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guevara bearers went from 46,454 to 48,503 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #746 to #687.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Guevara
FAQ
Guevara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guevara?
Name Census estimates that about 55,620 living Americans carry the surname Guevara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,162 residents.
How common is Guevara?
Guevara ranks #687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 48,503 people with the surname Guevara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (55,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Guevara.
Has Guevara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guevara went from 46,454 recorded bearers to 48,503. That is an increase of 2,049 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #746 to #687.
What does the Census say about the background of Guevara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guevara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Guevara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (44,431 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guevara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.6%), White (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Guevara (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 Guevara mean?
A Basque occupational surname referring to an arms manufacturer or supplier, derived from "gebar" meaning "arms" or "weapons." 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 Guevara (16.23 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 common is the surname Guevara?
You can see how common the surname Guevara is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.