2000
#1,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.45
Uncommon Last name
Anaya
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "anai," meaning "brother," possibly indicating a fraternal relationship or brotherhood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,068 Americans carry the last name Anaya. That puts it at #1,474 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anaya 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
27K
1 in 12,663
Census rank
#1,474
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,605 bearers of the surname Anaya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1474th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anaya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anaya
The surname Anaya has its roots in the Basque Country, a region straddling the border between Spain and France. It is believed to have originated in the late 10th or early 11th century, derived from the Basque word "anai," meaning "brother." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, referring to a person's relationship or position within a family or community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Becerro de Reparaciones de Castilla, a historical document from the 13th century that listed landowners and properties. In this record, an individual named Sancho Anaya is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Castile.
The name Anaya also appears in various medieval manuscripts and records from the Iberian Peninsula. For example, in the 14th century, a soldier named Pedro Anaya fought alongside King Alfonso XI of Castile in the siege of Gibraltar against the Moors. Another noteworthy figure was Juan de Anaya, a prominent theologian and prelate who served as the Archbishop of Seville in the early 15th century.
As the name spread beyond its Basque origins, it took on various spellings and forms. In some regions of Spain, it was written as "Anaia" or "Anaya," while in Portuguese-speaking areas, it was sometimes rendered as "Anaia" or "Anaía."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Anaya was Rodrigo de Anaya, a Spanish conquistador born in the late 15th century. He accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Another notable figure was Pedro de Anaya, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in expeditions to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
In the realm of literature, the name Anaya is associated with Rudolfo Anaya, a celebrated Mexican-American author and professor born in 1937. His novels, such as "Bless Me, Ultima" and "Heart of Aztlan," explored themes of cultural identity and the Chicano experience.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Anaya include Domingo Anaya, a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the interim president of Mexico in 1847, and Alejandro Anaya, a Mexican businessman and entrepreneur born in 1926, who founded the successful textile company Grupo Anaya.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anaya
Among Census respondents with the surname Anaya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Anaya 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 Anaya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 21,751
- White6.2% · 1,475
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 104
- Two or more races0.4% · 91
- Black or African American0.3% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anaya
Anaya 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
#1,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,017
+6,612 bearers (+38.0%)
Per 100,000 8.14
Rank movement Up 406 places
2020
#1,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,605
-412 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 7.90
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,894 | 17,405 | 6.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,488 | 24,017 | 8.14 | +6,612 bearers (+38.0%) | Up 406 places |
| 2020 | #1,474 | 23,605 | 7.90 | -412 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 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 Anaya 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 | #1,488 | #1,474 | 0.9% |
| Count | 24,017 | 23,605 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.14 | 7.90 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anaya bearers went from 24,017 to 23,605 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,488 to #1,474.
FAQ
Anaya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anaya?
Name Census estimates that about 27,068 living Americans carry the surname Anaya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,663 residents.
How common is Anaya?
Anaya ranks #1,474 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,605 people with the surname Anaya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,068), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Anaya.
Has Anaya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anaya went from 24,017 recorded bearers to 23,605. That is a decrease of 412 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,488 to #1,474.
What does the Census say about the background of Anaya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anaya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Anaya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (21,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anaya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (6.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Anaya (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 Anaya mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "anai," meaning "brother," possibly indicating a fraternal relationship or brotherhood. 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 Anaya (7.90 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 Anaya?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.