2000
#5,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Alejandro
A Spanish surname derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of mankind" or "protector of men."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,942 Americans carry the last name Alejandro. That puts it at #4,409 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alejandro 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
8.9K
1 in 38,331
Census rank
#4,409
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,798 bearers of the surname Alejandro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4409th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alejandro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and White (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alejandro
The surname Alejandro is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name Alejandro, which is the Spanish form of the ancient Greek name Alexander. The name's origins can be traced back to ancient Macedonia in the 4th century BC, where it was borne by Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian ruler and military leader.
The name Alejandro is a combination of the Greek elements "alexo," meaning "to defend" or "to protect," and "andros," meaning "man." Thus, the name Alejandro can be interpreted as "defender of men" or "protector of men." This name was likely given to signify strength, courage, and leadership qualities.
In Spain, the surname Alejandro first appeared in records during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas such as Castile and Aragon. It is believed that the name was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by Greek settlers and later became more widespread during the Roman occupation of the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Alejandro was Alejandro Fernández de Córdoba, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who lived in the 15th century and played a crucial role in the conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain.
Another notable figure with the surname Alejandro was Alejandro Malaspina, an Italian-born Spanish naval officer and explorer who led a scientific expedition to the Americas and the Pacific Ocean between 1789 and 1794. His expedition made significant contributions to the fields of navigation, cartography, and natural history.
In the 16th century, Alejandro de Humboldt, a German naturalist, explorer, and geographer, made significant contributions to the study of plant geography and meteorology. He is considered one of the founders of modern geography and is famous for his extensive exploration of South America.
During the Spanish Golden Age, the name Alejandro was also associated with literary figures, such as Alejandro Saavedra Remírez, a Spanish poet and playwright who lived in the 17th century and was known for his works in the Baroque style.
In the 20th century, Alejandro Casona, a Spanish dramatist and novelist, gained recognition for his plays that often explored themes of love, dreams, and the supernatural. His works, including "La dama del alba" and "Los árboles mueren de pie," are considered classics of Spanish literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alejandro
Among Census respondents with the surname Alejandro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and White (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Alejandro 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 Alejandro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.6% · 6,367
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.0% · 858
- White5.7% · 444
- Two or more races0.9% · 68
- Black or African American0.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alejandro
Alejandro 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
#4,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,770
+1,923 bearers (+32.9%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Up 905 places
2020
#4,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,798
+28 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Up 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,468 | 5,847 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,563 | 7,770 | 2.63 | +1,923 bearers (+32.9%) | Up 905 places |
| 2020 | #4,409 | 7,798 | 2.61 | +28 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 154 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 Alejandro 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 | #4,563 | #4,409 | 3.4% |
| Count | 7,770 | 7,798 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.61 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alejandro bearers went from 7,770 to 7,798 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,563 to #4,409.
FAQ
Alejandro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alejandro?
Name Census estimates that about 8,942 living Americans carry the surname Alejandro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,331 residents.
How common is Alejandro?
Alejandro ranks #4,409 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 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 7,798 people with the surname Alejandro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,942), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 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 Alejandro.
Has Alejandro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alejandro went from 7,770 recorded bearers to 7,798. That is an increase of 28 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,563 to #4,409.
What does the Census say about the background of Alejandro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alejandro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and White (5.7%). 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 Alejandro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (6,367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alejandro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%), White (5.7%). 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 Alejandro (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 Alejandro mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of mankind" or "protector of men." 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 Alejandro (2.61 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 many people share the surname Alejandro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.