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Garcia or García is a Basque origin surname common throughout Spain, Portugal, parts of France, the Americas, and the Philippines. It is a surname of patronymic origin; García was a very common first name in early medieval Iberian Peninsula.
It is attested since the high Middle Ages north and south of the Pyrenees (Basque Culture Territories), with the surname (sometimes first name too) thriving especially on the Kingdom of Navarre and spreading out to Castile and other Spanish regions.
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Origin of the name
Alfonso Irigoyen believed it to derive from the Basque adjective garze(a) meaning "young", whose modern form is gaztea or gaztia. Ramón Menéndez Pidal and Antonio Tovar suggests it may come from the Basque word (H)artz, meaning "(the) Bear". A third etymology suggests it may derive from the Basque words "Gazte Hartz", meaning "(the) young bear". Variant forms of the name include Garcicea, Gartzi, Gartzia, Gartze, Garsea, and Gastea. The original Basque form with an affricate sibilant (/ts/, Basque spelling /tz/) evolved in Spanish to the current form.
There are Gasconic cognates of Garcia like Gassie and Gassion (Béarn, Gassio 14th century, real name of Edith Piaf, born Edith Gassion).
Other theories suggest that García is of Germanic origin and may derive from wars meaning young warrior or the Visigothic words garxa and garcha meaning graceful prince.
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Popularity
García is the most common surname in Spain (where 3.32% of population is named García) and also the second most common surname in Mexico and Cuba.
In the 1990 United States Census, Garcia was the 18th most reported surname, accounting for 0.25% of the population. It has become a common surname in the United States, and is now the 8th most common surname in the U.S.
Quite rare before the 1st World War in France, except in the French Pays Basque, Garcia is now the 14th most common surname in France (the 8th one for the number of birth between 1966 and 1990), due to an important Spanish immigration. It ranked 2nd in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur after the number of births 1966-1990.
García is also the third most common surname amongst Spanish in the United Kingdom.
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People
A
- Aaron Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Adam Garcia (born 1973), Australian actor
- Adrián García (born 1978), Chilean tennis player
- Adrian García Arias (born 1975), Mexican footballer
- Aimee Garcia (born 1978), Mexican American actress
- Alan García (born 1949), Politician and former President of Peru from 1985-1990; 2006-2011
- Alejandro García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Alex Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Alfredo García-Baró (born 1972), Cuban sprinter
- Alfredo García Green (born 1953), Mexican politician
- Amadeo García (1887-1947), Spanish football manager
- Ana García Carías (born 1968), Honduran lawyer and First Lady
- Anastasio Somoza García (1896-1956), President of Nicaragua
- Andrés García (born 1941), Mexican actor
- Andy García (born 1956), Cuban American actor
- Anier García (born 1976), Cuban athlete in the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Anthony Garcia, New Zealand professional wrestler of Yugoslavian and Irish descent
- Antonio García (disambiguation), multiple people
B
- Bangs Garcia (born 1987), Filipina actress
- Bartolomé García del Nodal (1574-1622), Spanish explorer
- Bianca Garcia, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Boniek García (born 1984), Honduran footballer
- Bonnie Garcia, Representative of California's 80th Assembly District
- Borja Garcia (born 1982), Spanish race car driver
- Brianna Garcia (born 1983), American professional wrestler
C
- Calixto García (1839-1898), Cuban military leader
- Cancio Garcia (1937-2013), Filipino lawyer and judge
- Candelario Garcia (1944-2013), United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
- Carlos Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Carmelo Garcia, American politician from New Jersey
- Caroline Garcia (born 1993), French professional tennis player
- Cédric Garcia (born 1982), French-Spanish rugby player
- Ceferino Garcia (1912-1981), Filipino boxer
- Charles Patrick Garcia (born 1961), Panamanian-American author, Hispanic leader, businessman
- Charly García (born 1951), Argentine musician
- Cheska Garcia, Filipino actress
- Christian Garcia Major League Baseball pitcher
- Concha García Campoy (1958-2013), Spanish radio and television journalist
- Cristina García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Cristino Garcia (1914-1946), Spanish fighter with the French Resistance during World War II
D
- Danay Garcia, Cuban actress
- Daniel García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Danna García (born 1978), Colombian actress and singer
- Dean Garcia, British studio musician, former member of rock band Curve
- Diana Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Diego Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Domingo García (Dominic de la Calzada) (1019-1109), Spanish saint
- Dora García (born 1965), Spanish artist
E
- Eddie Garcia (born 1929), Filipino film actor and director
- Eduardo García de Enterría (1923-2013), Spanish jurist
- Eric Garcia (born 1972), Spanish American author
- Erica Garcia (born 1978), Argentinean musician and actress
- Esmeralda de Jesus Garcia (born 1959), Brazilian track and field athlete
- Esther Herranz García (born 1969), Spanish politician, Member of the European Parliament
F
- Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), Spanish poet and dramatist
- Fernando García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Fernando Soto-Hay y Garcia
- Francisco García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Frank Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Freddie Garcia (born 1952), Mexican-American soccer player
- Freddy García (born 1976), Venezuelan-American baseball player
- Freddy García (disambiguation), multiple people
G
- Gabriel García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Gael García Bernal (born 1978), Mexican actor
- Gary Garcia, half of the musical duo Buckner & Garcia
- Gazzy Garcia (born 2000), American rapper known professionally as Lil Pump
- Genaro García (1977-2013), Mexican boxer
- St. Gonsalo Garcia (1556-1597), Portuguese-Indian Roman Catholic saint
- Gonzalo Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Gustavo C. Garcia (1915-1964), Mexican-American civil rights activist
H
- Héctor García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Humberto García (disambiguation), multiple people
I
- Iolanda García Sàez, Spanish ski mountaineer
- Inez Garcia, feminist cause célèbre
- Iratxe García, Spanish politician, Member of the European Parliament
- Isaac García (born 1968), Mexican long-distance runner
- Iván García (disambiguation), multiple people
J
- Jacques Garcia, French designer
- Jaime García (born 1986), Mexican baseball player
- Jaime García (equestrian) (1910-1959), Spanish horse rider
- Jean Garcia, Filipino telenovela actress
- Jason Garcia, American professional baseball player
- Jean-Louis Garcia (born 1962), French soccer player
- Jeff Garcia (born 1970), NFL and former Canadian football player of Irish and Mexican descent
- Jennica Garcia, Filipino actress
- Jerry Garcia (1942-1995), American rock-and-roll musician (Grateful Dead)
- Jesús García (1881-1907), Mexican railroad brakeman and national hero
- Jesús García (disambiguation), multiple people
- JoAnna Garcia (born 1979), American actress
- Joaquín Torres García (1874-1949), Uruguayan artist with global influence in 20th Century Art
- John Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Johnny García, Mexican football (soccer) player
- Jorge Garcia (born 1979), Hispanic American actor
- José García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joseph Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Juan Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Juanín García (born 1977), Spanish handball player
- Julio García (disambiguation), multiple people
L
- Léa Garcia (born 1933), Brazilian actress
- Lilian Garcia (born 1973), Spanish-American singer and former WWE ring announcer
- Luis García (disambiguation), multiple people
M
- Mannie Garcia, freelance photojournalist
- Manolo García, Spanish singer and painter
- Manolo García (make-up artist), Spanish make-up artist
- Manuel García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Marcario Garcia (1920-1972), Mexican-born United States Medal of Honor winner
- Marcela Bovio García (born 1979), Mexican singer, lead vocalist of the metal band Stream of Passion
- Marcelino García Toral (born 1965), Spanish football coach
- Marcelino García (cyclist) (born 1971), Spanish professional road bicycle racer
- Marcelo García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Maria Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Marilinda Garcia, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Martín García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Marvín García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Mayra García (born 1972), Mexican beach volleyball player
- Maricris Garcia, Filipino singer
- Mayte Jannell Garcia (born 1973), Puerto Rican-American dancer
- Miguel García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Michael Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Mireia García (born 1981), Spanish butterfly swimmer
N
- Néstor García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Nick Garcia (born 1979), Mexican American soccer player
- Nicole Garcia, French actress, film director and writer
- Nina García (born 1967), Colombian fashion journalist and critic
O
- Odalys Garcia (born 1975), Cuban-American actress and television show host
- Orlando Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
P
- Pablo Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Patrick Garcia (born 1981), Filipino actor
- Pedro Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Pete Garcia, Athletic director of Florida International University
- Pierre-Emmanuel Garcia (born 1983), French rugby player
- Pilar "Ailyn" Giménez García (born 1982), Spanish singer, lead vocalist of the gothic metal band Sirenia
R
- Rafael García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ramón García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Raúl García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Renaud Garcia-Fons (born 1962), French upright-bass player and composer
- Ricardo Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Richard Garcia (born 1981), Australian soccer player
- Robert Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Roberto García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rodrigo García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rómulo García (1927-2005), Archbishop of Bahía Blanca, Argentina
- Rosman García (born 1979), Venezuelan-American baseball player
- Ruben Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rudi García (born 1964), French football manager
S
- Salvador García (disambiguation), multiple people
- Sara García (1895-1980), Mexican actress
- Sergent Garcia, stage name of Bruno Garcia (born 1964), French solo artist
- Sergio García (born 1980), Spanish golfer
- Sunny Garcia (born 1970), Hawaiian surfer
T
- Tanya Garcia (born 1981), Filipino actress
- Tony Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
V
- Vanessa García (born 1984), Puerto Rican freestyle swimmer
- Victor Garcia (disambiguation), multiple people
W
- Willis García (born 1970), Venezuelan judoka
X
- Xavier García (disambiguation), multiple people
Y
- Yohan García (born 1982), Cuban swimmer
- Yordanis García (born 1988), Cuban decathlete
- Yusmely García (born 1983), Venezuelan hurdler
Fictional characters
- Isabella Garcia-Shapiro in Phineas and Ferb
- Juan García Cortes, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Penelope Garcia in the crime drama Criminal Minds
- Robert Garcia, video game character in the Art of Fighting and King of Fighters series
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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