2000
#1,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,521
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.87
Uncommon Last name
Aviles
A habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Avilés in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,213 Americans carry the last name Aviles. That puts it at #1,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aviles 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
29K
1 in 11,733
Census rank
#1,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,475 bearers of the surname Aviles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aviles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aviles
The surname Aviles originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish town of Aviles, located in the northern region of Asturias. The name is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "avellana," meaning "hazelnut," suggesting that the area may have been known for its hazelnut groves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Aviles can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that documented landowners and their properties. In this text, the name appears as "Aveyles," an early variation of the spelling.
During the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (1519-1574), a Spanish sailor and explorer who established the first permanent European settlement in what is now the continental United States. He founded St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565 and served as the first governor of Spanish Florida.
Another notable figure with the surname Aviles was Gaspar de Avilés (1593-1657), a Spanish painter from the Baroque period who was known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums across Spain.
In the 18th century, José Avilés y Iturbide (1727-1799) was a Spanish naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He is credited with mapping and naming several locations along the coast of present-day British Columbia and Washington state.
Fast forward to the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Aviles was Efraín Avilés Ramírez (1924-1990), a Mexican actor and comedian known for his roles in numerous Mexican films and television shows. He was a beloved figure in Mexican popular culture and helped shape the country's comedy scene.
Throughout history, variations of the Aviles surname have included Avilés, Avilez, and Avila, with the latter being a separate but related surname derived from the Spanish city of Ávila.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aviles
Among Census respondents with the surname Aviles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aviles 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 Aviles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 23,419
- White5.2% · 1,333
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 378
- Black or African American0.8% · 208
- Two or more races0.4% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aviles
Aviles 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
#1,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,716
+7,195 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 8.72
Rank movement Up 400 places
2020
#1,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,475
-241 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 8.52
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,775 | 18,521 | 6.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,375 | 25,716 | 8.72 | +7,195 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 400 places |
| 2020 | #1,349 | 25,475 | 8.52 | -241 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 26 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 Aviles 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 | #1,375 | #1,349 | 1.9% |
| Count | 25,716 | 25,475 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.72 | 8.52 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aviles bearers went from 25,716 to 25,475 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,375 to #1,349.
FAQ
Aviles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aviles?
Name Census estimates that about 29,213 living Americans carry the surname Aviles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,733 residents.
How common is Aviles?
Aviles ranks #1,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,475 people with the surname Aviles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Aviles.
Has Aviles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aviles went from 25,716 recorded bearers to 25,475. That is a decrease of 241 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,375 to #1,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Aviles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aviles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Aviles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (23,419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aviles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Aviles (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 Aviles mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Avilés in Spain. 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 Aviles (8.52 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 surname Aviles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.