2000
#1,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.78
Uncommon Last name
Uribe
Basque toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "city" or "town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,720 Americans carry the last name Uribe. That puts it at #1,435 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uribe 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
28K
1 in 12,365
Census rank
#1,435
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,173 bearers of the surname Uribe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1435th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uribe, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uribe
The surname Uribe originated in Spain and is of Spanish origin. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "uri", meaning town or village, and "be", meaning under or below. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or below a town or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Uribe can be traced back to the region of Cantabria in northern Spain during the 12th century. Historical records from that time show variations in spelling, such as Uriue, Uriube, and Uriave.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Uribe was Pedro Uribe, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico in the early 16th century. Pedro Uribe played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
In the 17th century, the name Uribe appeared in several historical documents related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. For example, Juan de Uribe was a Spanish colonist who settled in present-day Venezuela in the early 1600s.
Another notable figure with the surname Uribe was Tomás de Uribe y Salazar, a Spanish military officer and governor of the province of Sonora in New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the late 17th century.
During the 19th century, the surname Uribe gained prominence in Colombia, where several individuals with this name played important roles in the country's history. One such individual was Antonio Uribe, a Colombian military officer and politician who served as President of Colombia from 1875 to 1876.
Additionally, Juan de Dios Uribe was a Colombian writer, journalist, and diplomat who lived from 1850 to 1920. He is considered one of the most important literary figures in Colombia during the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uribe
Among Census respondents with the surname Uribe, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Uribe 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 Uribe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 22,588
- White5.5% · 1,340
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 73
- Two or more races0.3% · 63
- Black or African American0.2% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uribe
Uribe 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
#1,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,612
+6,329 bearers (+34.6%)
Per 100,000 8.34
Rank movement Up 357 places
2020
#1,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,173
-439 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 8.09
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,805 | 18,283 | 6.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,448 | 24,612 | 8.34 | +6,329 bearers (+34.6%) | Up 357 places |
| 2020 | #1,435 | 24,173 | 8.09 | -439 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 13 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 Uribe 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 | #1,448 | #1,435 | 0.9% |
| Count | 24,612 | 24,173 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 8.34 | 8.09 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uribe bearers went from 24,612 to 24,173 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,448 to #1,435.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Uribe
FAQ
Uribe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uribe?
Name Census estimates that about 27,720 living Americans carry the surname Uribe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,365 residents.
How common is Uribe?
Uribe ranks #1,435 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,173 people with the surname Uribe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,720), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Uribe.
Has Uribe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uribe went from 24,612 recorded bearers to 24,173. That is a decrease of 439 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,448 to #1,435.
What does the Census say about the background of Uribe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uribe, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Uribe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (22,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uribe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Uribe (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 Uribe mean?
Basque toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "city" or "town." 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 Uribe (8.09 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 Uribe?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Uribe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.