In U.S. Name Count, Garcias Are Catching Up With Joneses…phew, I can relax now.
I was aware that my surname is hardly uncommon but I had no idea it was the most popular Hispanic last name in the U.S. and eighth overall.
I didn’t know a single Garcia growing up, not one. Practically everyone I knew with Spanish surnames (Diaz, Antolin, Estamada) were Filipino or from Saipan. I was a junior in high school before another Garcia showed up, and bizarrely, her name was Kristy. She struck me as a slutty/druggy/metalhead type but who knows because I didn’t mingle with freshman. Occasionally, people would call my house looking for her and were most certainly disappointed to get Krista Garcia on the line rather than Kristy. My 666 phone number prefix was kind of metal, now that I think about it.