2000
#8,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Almodovar
A Spanish surname referring to someone from Almodóvar, a place name meaning "the round" in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,961 Americans carry the last name Almodovar. That puts it at #7,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Almodovar 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
5.0K
1 in 69,090
Census rank
#7,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,326 bearers of the surname Almodovar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Almodovar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Almodovar
The surname Almodovar originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Arabic words "al-mudawwar," which translates to "the round" or "the circular." This indicates that the name likely originated from a place name or a descriptive term related to a circular or rounded location or structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Almodovar can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book mentions a place called "Almodovar del Campo," which was likely the origin of the surname.
In the 15th century, the surname Almodovar appeared in various historical records and documents, including the Archivo General de Simancas, which houses records from the Spanish monarchy. One notable individual from this period was Pedro de Almodovar, a noblemen who served as a royal advisor to King Juan II of Castile in the early 1400s.
During the 16th century, the Almodovar surname gained prominence in Andalusia, a region in southern Spain. Several members of the Almodovar family held influential positions in local government and the Catholic Church. One noteworthy figure was Alonso de Almodovar, a clergyman who served as the Bishop of Cadiz from 1560 to 1565.
In the 17th century, the Almodovar name was associated with several military figures. Juan de Almodovar y Mendoza was a Spanish soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War and later served as the Governor of Gibraltar from 1638 to 1641. Another notable individual was Francisco de Almodovar y Arellano, a military commander who participated in the Spanish conquest of Naples in the early 1600s.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Almodovar surname continued to be prevalent in various regions of Spain. One prominent figure was Pedro de Almodovar y Castilla, a Spanish writer and poet who lived in the late 18th century and published several works on literature and philosophy.
Throughout history, the surname Almodovar has been associated with various place names and locations in Spain, such as Almodovar del Campo in Castilla-La Mancha, Almodovar del Río in Andalusia, and Almodovar de la Frontera in Huelva. These place names share the same Arabic roots as the surname and further reinforce its connection to the geographic origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Almodovar
Among Census respondents with the surname Almodovar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Almodovar 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 Almodovar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.1% · 3,853
- White6.2% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 113
- Black or African American1.5% · 64
- Two or more races0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Almodovar
Almodovar 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
#8,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,112
+725 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 840 places
2020
#7,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,326
+214 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 622 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,889 | 3,387 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,049 | 4,112 | 1.39 | +725 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 840 places |
| 2020 | #7,427 | 4,326 | 1.45 | +214 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 622 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 Almodovar 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 | #8,049 | #7,427 | 7.7% |
| Count | 4,112 | 4,326 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.45 | 4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Almodovar bearers went from 4,112 to 4,326 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 622 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,049 to #7,427.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Almodovar
FAQ
Almodovar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Almodovar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,961 living Americans carry the surname Almodovar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,090 residents.
How common is Almodovar?
Almodovar ranks #7,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,326 people with the surname Almodovar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,961), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Almodovar.
Has Almodovar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Almodovar went from 4,112 recorded bearers to 4,326. That is an increase of 214 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,049 to #7,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Almodovar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Almodovar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Almodovar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (3,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Almodovar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.1%), White (6.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Almodovar (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 Almodovar mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone from Almodóvar, a place name meaning "the round" in Arabic. 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 Almodovar (1.45 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 are called Almodovar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Almodovar is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.