García (surname)

García is a surname common throughout Latin America, the Philippines and Spain. There are several theories about its origin and history, but it is surely a Pre-Roman name, probably from Iberian or Basque origin. It is a surname of patronymic origin (Garcia was a very common first name in early medieval Spain). 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. It has become common in the United States due to substantial Latin American immigration, and is now the 8th most common surname among North Americans. In the 1990 United States Census, 'Garcia' was the eighteenth most reported surname, accounting for 0.25% of the population. García is also the most common surname amongst Spanish Britons.

Notable people who share this surname include:

People

• Aaron Garcia (born 1970), Mexican American football player
• Adam Garcia (born 1973), Australian actor
• Aimee Garcia (born 1978), Mexican American actress
• Alan García (born 1949), President of Peru from 1985–1990; 2006–
• Alex Garcia (contemporary), Cuban-American chef
• Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956), President of Nicaragua
• Andrés García (born 1941), Mexican actor
• Andy Garcia (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 Cordón García, soldier and commander during the Spanish Civil War
• Becky Garcia (born 1983), Mexican American boxer
• Bonnie Garcia, Hispanic representative of California's 80th Assembly District
• Borja Garcia (born 1982), Spanish race car driver
• Calixto García (1839–1898), Cuban military leader
• Carlos P. Garcia (1896–1971), president of the Philippines 1957–1961
• Carlos García (baseball) (born 1967), Venezuelan-American baseball player
• Carlos García Quesada (born 1978), Spanish road racing cyclist
• Carmen García Maura (Carmen Maura) (born 1945), Spanish actress
• Ceferino Garcia, boxer
• Charles Patrick Garcia (born 1961), Panamanian-American author, Hispanic leader, businessman
• Charly García (born 1951), Argentinian rock-and-roll musician
• Cristino Garcia (1914–1946), Spanish fighter with the French Resistance during World War II
• Cristina Garcia (born 1958), Cuban-American novelist
• Dámaso García (born 1955), Dominican baseball player
• Danay Garcia, Cuban actress
• Danna García (born 1978), Colombian actress and singer
• Dario García (born 1968), Argentine judoka
• Diego García (born 1961), Spanish long-distance runner
• Domingo García (Dominic de la Calzada) (1019-1109), Spanish saint
• Eddie Garcia, (born 1921) Filipino film actor and director
• Elvia García Ardalani (born 1963), Mexican poet, writer, and storyteller
• Eric Garcia (born 1972), Mexican American author
• Esmeralda García (born 1959), Brazilian track and field athlete
• Federico García Lorca (1898–1936), Spanish poet and dramatist
• Fernando Luis Garcia (1929–1952), Hispanic American United States Marine awarded the Medal of Honor
• Fortunato Garcia Jr., (Born 1926) Owner of the largest coffee farm in Philippines
• Freddy García (born 1976), Venezuelan-American baseball player
• Gabriel García Márquez (born 1927), Colombian Nobel Prize laureate in Literature
• Gael García Bernal (born 1978), Mexican actor
• García de Nodal brothers, 17th-century Spanish explorers
• Gary Garcia, half of the singing duo Buckner & Garcia
• St. Gonsalo Garcia (1556–1597), Mexican Roman Catholic saint
• Gonzalo Garcia (dancer), New York City Ballet principal dancer
• Gustavo C. Garcia (1915–1964), Mexican-American civil rights activist
• Hector P. Garcia, Mexican-American civil rights activist
• Inez Garcia, feminist cause célèbre
• Iratxe García (contemporary), Spanish politician, Member of the European Parliament
• Ismael Zambada García (born 1948), alleged Mexican drug-lord
• Jean Garcia Filipina telenovela actress
• Jeff Garcia (born 1970), NFL and former Canadian football player of Irish and Mexican descent
• Jerry Garcia (1942–1995), American rock-and-roll musician
• Joanna Garcia (born 1979), Mexican American actress
• Joaquín García Icazbalceta, Mexican writer
• Joaquín Torres-García (1874–1949), Mexican painter and sculptor and founder of constructive universalism
• John David Garcia (1936–2001), Mexican American founder of the Society for Evolutionary Ethics
• John Garcia (born 1972), Mexican American singer
• Johnny García, Mexican football (soccer) player
• Jorge Garcia (born 1979), Hispanic American actor
• José García (born 1968), Venezuelan boxer
• Joseph Garcia (contemporary), Hispanic politician
• Juan Bautista Garcia (1904–1974), Mexican immigrant to Puerto Rico
• Juan Pablo García (born 1981), Mexican footballer
• Lilian Garcia (born 1973), Mexican American singer and WWE announcer
• Luis García (born 1978), Spanish football player
• Léa Garcia (born 1933), Brazilian actress
• Manoel Garcia (1775–1832), Spanish tenor and composer
• Manuel del Pópulo Vicente García (1775–1832), Spanish opera singer and opera composer
• Manuel Patricio Rodríguez García, (1805–1906), Spanish opera singer
• María del Carmen García (born 1969), Cuban high jumper
• María García (born 1969), Spanish politician, Member of the European Parliament
• María García (born 1984), Peruvian, Miss World 2004
• Mayra García (born 1972), Mexican beach volleyball player
• Mayte Jannell Garcia (born 1973), Puerto Rican-American dancer
• Miguel García (born 1967), Venezuelan-American baseball player
• Miguel García (anarchist), Hispanic anarchist
• Mike Garcia (1923–1986), Mexican-American baseball player
• Mireia García (born 1981), Spanish butterfly swimmer
• Nestor García (born 1975), Uruguayan marathon runner
• Nick Garcia (born 1979), Mexican American soccer player
• Odalys Garcia (born 1975), Cuban-American actress and television show host
• Oscar Garcia (contemporary), Mexican American musician
• Oz Garcia (contemporary), Mexican American nutritional counselor and author
• Pablo Gabriel García (born 1977), Uruguayan footballer
• Pablo García (born 1976), Spanish guitarist and member of the band WarCry
• Pablo P. Garcia (born 1925), Filipino politician
• Pablo Marcano García (born 1952), Puerto Rican painter
• Patrick Garcia (born 1981), a Filipino actor
• Ramón García (born 1969), Venezuelan-American baseball player
• Richard Garcia (born 1981), Australian soccer player
• Roberto García Parrondo, Spanish team handball player
• Rodrigo Garcia (born 1959), Mexican American/Cuban television and film director
• Rómulo García (born 1927, died 2005), Archbishop of Bahía Blanca, Argentina
• Rosman García (born 1979), Venezuelan-American baseball player
• Ruben Garcia (born 1946), Mexican American NASCAR race driver
• Sergio García (born 1980), Spanish golfer
• Sunny Garcia (born 1970), Hawaiian surfer
• Tanya Garcia (born 1981), Filipina actress
• Vanessa García (born 1984), Puerto Rican freestyle swimmer
• Willis García (born 1970), Venezuelan judoka

Fictional characters

• The García family in Julia Alvarez's novel How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
• Robert Garcia, video game character in the Art of Fighting and King of Fighters series
• Deputy James Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui), a fictional Sheriff's deputy on Reno 911!, a Comedy Central series
• Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia from Zorro and Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa
• FBI agent Penelope Garcia from the television series Criminal Minds

References

Further reading

• Garcia DNA Project, Y-DNA Testing for Garcia's, find family & discover your past