2000
#1,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.71
Uncommon Last name
Alonso
A Spanish surname derived from the Germanic name Alphonse, meaning "noble and ready."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,851 Americans carry the last name Alonso. That puts it at #1,169 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alonso 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alonso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,125
Census rank
#1,169
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,520 bearers of the surname Alonso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1169th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alonso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alonso
The surname Alonso is of Spanish origin, stemming from the personal name Alfonso, which is derived from the Germanic name Adalfuns, a combination of the elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "funs" meaning "ready." The name first emerged in the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period, specifically in the region of Castile.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alonso dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various historical documents from the Kingdom of Castile. The Alonso surname is closely tied to the Spanish monarchy, as several kings bore the name Alfonso, including Alfonso VI (1040-1109), Alfonso VII (1105-1157), and Alfonso X (1221-1284), also known as Alfonso the Wise.
The name Alonso gained further prominence in the 14th century with the birth of Alonso de Cartagena (1384-1456), a renowned Spanish bishop, diplomat, and scholar. His works, such as "Defensorium Unitatis Christianae," played a significant role in shaping the intellectual landscape of the time.
During the Age of Exploration, the Alonso surname traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, as Spanish conquistadors and settlers carried it to the Americas. One notable figure was Alonso de Ojeda (1468-1515), a Spanish explorer and navigator who led several expeditions to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America.
In the realm of art and literature, the Alonso surname is associated with the Spanish Golden Age. Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (1533-1594) was a renowned poet and soldier, best known for his epic poem "La Araucana," which recounted the Spanish conquest of Chile.
Another prominent figure bearing the Alonso surname was Alonso Cano (1601-1667), a Spanish painter, sculptor, and architect whose works embodied the Baroque style and influenced subsequent generations of artists.
Throughout history, the Alonso surname has been found in various spellings and variations, such as Alonso, Alonzo, and Alfonzo, reflecting regional linguistic variations and adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alonso
Among Census respondents with the surname Alonso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alonso 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 Alonso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.7% · 27,056
- White6.7% · 1,979
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 265
- Two or more races0.3% · 95
- Black or African American0.3% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alonso
Alonso 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
#1,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,389
+9,587 bearers (+46.1%)
Per 100,000 10.30
Rank movement Up 426 places
2020
#1,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,520
-869 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 9.88
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,581 | 20,802 | 7.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,155 | 30,389 | 10.30 | +9,587 bearers (+46.1%) | Up 426 places |
| 2020 | #1,169 | 29,520 | 9.88 | -869 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 14 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 Alonso 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 | #1,155 | #1,169 | -1.2% |
| Count | 30,389 | 29,520 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 10.30 | 9.88 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alonso bearers went from 30,389 to 29,520 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,155 to #1,169.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Alonso
FAQ
Alonso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alonso?
Name Census estimates that about 33,851 living Americans carry the surname Alonso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,125 residents.
How common is Alonso?
Alonso ranks #1,169 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,520 people with the surname Alonso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Alonso.
Has Alonso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alonso went from 30,389 recorded bearers to 29,520. That is a decrease of 869 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,155 to #1,169.
What does the Census say about the background of Alonso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alonso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Alonso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (27,056 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alonso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.7%), White (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Alonso (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 Alonso mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Germanic name Alphonse, meaning "noble and ready." 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 Alonso (9.88 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 Americans have the surname Alonso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.