2000
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Antunez
Derived from a place name referring to someone living near a ford or river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,805 Americans carry the last name Antunez. That puts it at #5,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,368 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Antunez 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
6.8K
1 in 50,368
Census rank
#5,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,934 bearers of the surname Antunez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Antunez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Antunez
The surname Antunez has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin name Antonius, which was a Roman family name that later became a popular given name during the Christian era. The suffix "-ez" is a Spanish patronymic, indicating "son of."
Antunez is believed to have originated in the regions of Galicia and Asturias in northwestern Spain, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. It is also found in neighboring regions of northern Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral.
One of the earliest known records of the name Antunez can be found in the Libro Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census-like document compiled in the 14th century under the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed landowners and their properties throughout the kingdom, and the name Antunez appeared several times in connection with various locations.
In the 15th century, there are records of an Alonso Antunez, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the early 1400s. Another notable figure was Pedro Antunez, a Galician nobleman who served as a councilor to King Juan II of Castile in the mid-15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Antunez surname spread to the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. One notable individual was Melchor Antunez, a Spanish missionary and linguist who worked among the indigenous populations of Peru in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent family of Antunez in the Viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Mexico), where they held positions of power and influence. One member, Juan Antonio Antunez y Acevedo, served as the alcalde (mayor) of Mexico City in the 1750s.
Another notable figure was Manuel Antunez, a Spanish military officer and explorer who was involved in the colonization of California in the late 18th century. He served as the first governor of the Baja California peninsula and played a key role in establishing several missions and presidios (forts) in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Antunez
Among Census respondents with the surname Antunez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Antunez 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 Antunez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 5,658
- White3.8% · 223
- Black or African American0.4% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
- Two or more races0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Antunez
Antunez 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
#5,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,808
+2,180 bearers (+60.1%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 2,446 places
2020
#5,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,934
+126 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Up 295 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,377 | 3,628 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,931 | 5,808 | 1.97 | +2,180 bearers (+60.1%) | Up 2,446 places |
| 2020 | #5,636 | 5,934 | 1.99 | +126 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 295 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 Antunez 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 | #5,931 | #5,636 | 5.0% |
| Count | 5,808 | 5,934 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.99 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Antunez bearers went from 5,808 to 5,934 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 295 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,931 to #5,636.
FAQ
Antunez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Antunez?
Name Census estimates that about 6,805 living Americans carry the surname Antunez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,368 residents.
How common is Antunez?
Antunez ranks #5,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,934 people with the surname Antunez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Antunez.
Has Antunez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Antunez went from 5,808 recorded bearers to 5,934. That is an increase of 126 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,931 to #5,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Antunez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Antunez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Antunez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (5,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Antunez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.3%), White (3.8%), Black (0.4%). 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 Antunez (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 Antunez mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone living near a ford or river crossing. 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 Antunez (1.99 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 common is the surname Antunez?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Antunez at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.