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Garcia Family History

Garcia Surname Meaning

Spanish (García) and Portuguese: from a medieval personal name of uncertain origin. It is normally found in medieval records in the Latin form Garsea and may well be of pre-Roman origin, perhaps akin to Basque (h)artz ‘bear’.

This is the most common surname in Spain and also one of the most common surnames elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

In the US, where it is also found among Native Americans (mainly Pueblos in NM), it is the sixth most frequent surname.

Compare De Garcia.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Garcia family from?

You can see how Garcia families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Garcia family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Garcia families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 24 Garcia families living in Louisiana. This was about 86% of all the recorded Garcia's in USA. Louisiana had the highest population of Garcia families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Garcia surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Garcia ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Garcia. 32% of Garcia men worked as a Laborer and 9% of Garcia women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Garcia were Truck Driver and Seamstress.

View Census Data for Garcia | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    32%
  • Farmer
    8%
  • Farm Laborer
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Maid
    8%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Seamstress
    6%

What Garcia family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 867,000 census records available for the last name Garcia. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Garcia census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Garcia

Passenger Lists

There are 463,000 immigration records available for the last name Garcia. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Garcia immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 98,000 military records available for the last name Garcia. For the veterans among your Garcia ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Garcia military records

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