2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Caballa
Derived from the Spanish word for "mackerel," likely an occupational surname for a fishmonger or fish seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Caballa. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caballa 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Caballa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caballa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caballa
The surname "CABALLA" is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "caballa," which refers to a type of mackerel fish. This suggests that the name may have originated in Spain or a Spanish-speaking region, likely in the medieval or early modern period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Catalan region of Spain, where it was sometimes spelled "Caballa" or "Cavalla." It is thought that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals involved in the fishing or trade of mackerel.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Spanish explorer named Pedro Caballa who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. Pedro Caballa played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire, though specific details about his life and achievements are scarce.
Another notable figure with the surname "CABALLA" was Juan Caballa, a Spanish poet and playwright from the 17th century. He was born in Seville in 1602 and is best known for his works depicting the cultural and social life of the Spanish Golden Age.
In the 18th century, there was a French military officer named Jacques Caballa who served in the French Revolutionary Wars. He was born in Marseille in 1765 and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a general in the French army.
Moving into the 19th century, there was an Italian artist named Giuseppe Caballa who was known for his landscapes and portraiture. He was born in Naples in 1812 and spent much of his career working in Rome and other Italian cities.
While the name "CABALLA" is most closely associated with Spain and the Spanish-speaking world, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caballa
Among Census respondents with the surname Caballa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Caballa 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 Caballa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.3% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 16
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- White4.8% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caballa
Caballa appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 361 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 Caballa 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 | #152,628 | #152,989 | -0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 105 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caballa bearers went from 107 to 105 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,989.
FAQ
Caballa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caballa?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Caballa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Caballa?
Caballa ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Caballa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Caballa.
Has Caballa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caballa went from 107 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Caballa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caballa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.2%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Caballa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caballa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.3%), Hispanic (15.2%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Caballa (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 Caballa mean?
Derived from the Spanish word for "mackerel," likely an occupational surname for a fishmonger or fish seller. 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 Caballa (0.04 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 Caballa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.