2000
#3,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.29
Uncommon Last name
Angeles
A Spanish-derived surname referring to angels or someone from Los Angeles, the city in California.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,764 Americans carry the last name Angeles. That puts it at #2,567 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Angeles 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
16K
1 in 21,743
Census rank
#2,567
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,747 bearers of the surname Angeles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2567th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Angeles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%) and White (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Angeles
The surname ANGELES has its origins in Spain. It is derived from the Spanish word "angeles" which means "angels" in English. The name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century as a surname given to those who lived near or were associated with a church or monastery dedicated to the angels.
The earliest recorded use of the surname can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records, often referring to individuals from regions such as Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. Some variations of the spelling include Angelos, Angelos, and Angelos.
One notable historical figure with the surname ANGELES was Juan de los Angeles, a Spanish Hieronymite friar and mystic who lived from 1536 to 1609. He was known for his writings on spiritual matters and his work in establishing monasteries in Spain.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Miguel de los Angeles, a Spanish painter who lived from 1617 to 1677. He was known for his religious paintings and worked extensively in the Baroque style, decorating churches and monasteries throughout Spain.
In the 18th century, José de los Angeles, a Spanish explorer and cartographer, made significant contributions to the mapping of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in 1715 and his expeditions took place in the 1770s.
Pedro de los Angeles, born in 1792, was a Spanish military officer who played a role in the Mexican War of Independence. He fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and later served in the Mexican army.
A more recent figure with the surname ANGELES was María de los Angeles, a Spanish novelist and poet who lived from 1911 to 1998. She was known for her works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
While the surname ANGELES has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin American countries, through migration and settlement. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, where it was likely associated with religious institutions or locations dedicated to the angels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Angeles
Among Census respondents with the surname Angeles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%) and White (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Angeles 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 Angeles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino66.6% · 9,152
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.4% · 3,635
- White4.5% · 620
- Two or more races2.0% · 269
- Black or African American0.3% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Angeles
Angeles 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
#2,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,128
+5,255 bearers (+59.2%)
Per 100,000 4.79
Rank movement Up 1,117 places
2020
#2,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,747
-381 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 4.60
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,676 | 8,873 | 3.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,559 | 14,128 | 4.79 | +5,255 bearers (+59.2%) | Up 1,117 places |
| 2020 | #2,567 | 13,747 | 4.60 | -381 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 8 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 Angeles 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 | #2,559 | #2,567 | -0.3% |
| Count | 14,128 | 13,747 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.79 | 4.60 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Angeles bearers went from 14,128 to 13,747 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,559 to #2,567.
FAQ
Angeles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Angeles?
Name Census estimates that about 15,764 living Americans carry the surname Angeles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,743 residents.
How common is Angeles?
Angeles ranks #2,567 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,747 people with the surname Angeles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Angeles.
Has Angeles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Angeles went from 14,128 recorded bearers to 13,747. That is a decrease of 381 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,559 to #2,567.
What does the Census say about the background of Angeles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Angeles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%) and White (4.5%). 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 Angeles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.6% (9,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Angeles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (66.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%), White (4.5%). 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 Angeles (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 Angeles mean?
A Spanish-derived surname referring to angels or someone from Los Angeles, the city in California. 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 Angeles (4.60 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 Angeles?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Angeles, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.