2000
#2,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.05
Uncommon Last name
Alonzo
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Alfonso, meaning "noble and ready."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,375 Americans carry the last name Alonzo. That puts it at #1,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,062 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alonzo 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
24K
1 in 14,062
Census rank
#1,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,256 bearers of the surname Alonzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alonzo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alonzo
The surname Alonzo has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the Spanish given name Alfonso, which itself is derived from the Germanic name Adalfuns, composed of the elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "funs" meaning "ready."
Alonzo emerged as a surname in regions such as Castile and Aragon, where it was often associated with noble families or individuals of prominence. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One notable historical reference to the name Alonzo is in the epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which tells the story of the Spanish hero El Cid. The poem mentions a character named Alonzo Perez de Falcon, who was a loyal companion of El Cid during the Reconquista period.
Among the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Alonzo were Alonzo de Mendoza (b. 1340 - d. 1395), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Castilian Civil War, and Alonzo de Cartagena (b. 1384 - d. 1456), a renowned scholar, diplomat, and Bishop of Burgos.
Other notable individuals with the surname Alonzo include Pedro Alonzo de Hinojosa (b. 1475 - d. 1523), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico, and Alonzo de Santa Cruz (b. 1505 - d. 1567), a renowned Spanish cartographer and cosmographer who created some of the earliest detailed maps of the Americas.
The surname Alonzo also has connections to various place names in Spain, such as Alonzo de Valdés (a municipality in Asturias) and Alonzo (a village in Teruel), which may have influenced the surname's evolution and distribution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alonzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Alonzo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Alonzo 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 Alonzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.5% · 17,119
- White9.7% · 2,072
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 1,288
- Black or African American1.9% · 404
- Two or more races0.9% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 176
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alonzo
Alonzo 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
#1,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,367
+4,041 bearers (+24.8%)
Per 100,000 6.90
Rank movement Up 280 places
2020
#1,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,256
+889 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 7.11
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,038 | 16,326 | 6.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,758 | 20,367 | 6.90 | +4,041 bearers (+24.8%) | Up 280 places |
| 2020 | #1,646 | 21,256 | 7.11 | +889 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 112 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 Alonzo 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 | #1,758 | #1,646 | 6.4% |
| Count | 20,367 | 21,256 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.90 | 7.11 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alonzo bearers went from 20,367 to 21,256 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,758 to #1,646.
FAQ
Alonzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alonzo?
Name Census estimates that about 24,375 living Americans carry the surname Alonzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,062 residents.
How common is Alonzo?
Alonzo ranks #1,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,256 people with the surname Alonzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Alonzo.
Has Alonzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alonzo went from 20,367 recorded bearers to 21,256. That is an increase of 889 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,758 to #1,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Alonzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alonzo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Alonzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (17,119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alonzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.5%), White (9.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Alonzo (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 Alonzo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Alfonso, 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 Alonzo (7.11 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 have the last name Alonzo?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Alonzo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.