2000
#4,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.78
Uncommon Last name
Aceves
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the plural of acebo, meaning "holly tree," likely referring to a place with holly trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,890 Americans carry the last name Aceves. That puts it at #3,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,474 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aceves 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
11K
1 in 31,474
Census rank
#3,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,497 bearers of the surname Aceves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aceves, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aceves
The surname Aceves has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "acebes," which means "evergreen oak." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or worked with evergreen oak trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the Aceves surname can be found in historical records from the region of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. In the 16th century, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Aceves in the town of Valdepeñas, which was known for its vineyards and wine production.
One notable individual with the Aceves surname was Juan Aceves, a Spanish soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. He participated in the expeditions led by Hernán Cortés and is believed to have been among the first Spaniards to settle in what is now Mexico City.
In the 17th century, the Aceves family had a presence in the town of Villanueva de la Fuente, located in the province of Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha. Records from this period mention individuals such as Pedro Aceves, who was a local landowner and farmer.
The 18th century saw the spread of the Aceves surname to other parts of Spain, including the Basque Country and Catalonia. In the Basque region, there is a record of a blacksmith named Martín Aceves, who lived in the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz during the late 1700s.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable individual with the Aceves surname was José María Aceves, a Mexican politician and military leader who played a role in the Mexican War of Independence. He was born in 1783 in Guanajuato and served as a general in the insurgent army.
Another prominent figure was Manuel Aceves, a Mexican writer and journalist who lived from 1845 to 1915. He was known for his work in promoting the literary movement known as "Modernismo" in Mexico.
While the Aceves surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries with significant Spanish influence, such as Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aceves
Among Census respondents with the surname Aceves, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Aceves 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 Aceves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.6% · 8,982
- White4.2% · 396
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 42
- Two or more races0.4% · 35
- Black or African American0.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aceves
Aceves 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
#3,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,854
+2,352 bearers (+31.4%)
Per 100,000 3.34
Rank movement Up 775 places
2020
#3,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,497
-357 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,378 | 7,502 | 2.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,603 | 9,854 | 3.34 | +2,352 bearers (+31.4%) | Up 775 places |
| 2020 | #3,646 | 9,497 | 3.18 | -357 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 43 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 Aceves 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 | #3,603 | #3,646 | -1.2% |
| Count | 9,854 | 9,497 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.34 | 3.18 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aceves bearers went from 9,854 to 9,497 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,603 to #3,646.
FAQ
Aceves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aceves?
Name Census estimates that about 10,890 living Americans carry the surname Aceves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,474 residents.
How common is Aceves?
Aceves ranks #3,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,497 people with the surname Aceves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Aceves.
Has Aceves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aceves went from 9,854 recorded bearers to 9,497. That is a decrease of 357 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,603 to #3,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Aceves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aceves, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Aceves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (8,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aceves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.6%), White (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Aceves (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 Aceves mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the plural of acebo, meaning "holly tree," likely referring to a place with holly trees. 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 Aceves (3.18 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 Aceves?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Aceves on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.