2000
#1,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.51
Uncommon Last name
Caballero
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a knight, nobleman, or gentleman rider.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,143 Americans carry the last name Caballero. That puts it at #1,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caballero 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Caballero with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,342
Census rank
#1,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,902 bearers of the surname Caballero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caballero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caballero
The surname "CABALLERO" originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "caballero," which means "horseman" or "knight." This name was initially given to individuals who worked as horsemen or served as knights in the noble class.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "CABALLERO" can be traced back to the 12th century in various Spanish historical documents and manuscripts. These documents often referred to individuals with this surname as members of the nobility or military ranks.
One notable historical figure with the surname "CABALLERO" was Hernán Caballero, a Spanish military commander who participated in the Reconquista, the campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors during the 15th century.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Miguel Caballero de Cabrera, a 16th-century Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
In the 17th century, Jerónimo Caballero was a renowned Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in Seville in 1605 and died in 1676.
During the 18th century, José Caballero y Góngora was a respected Spanish naval officer and scientist. He was born in 1723 and made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and navigation.
In the 19th century, Fermín Caballero y Morgáez was a Spanish politician and historian who served as a member of the Spanish Parliament. He was born in 1800 and published several works on Spanish history and politics.
The surname "CABALLERO" has been widely used throughout Spain and its former colonies, particularly in Latin America. It is still a common surname in many Spanish-speaking countries today, reflecting its rich historical roots and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caballero
Among Census respondents with the surname Caballero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Caballero 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 Caballero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 25,589
- White6.6% · 1,900
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 927
- Black or African American0.8% · 238
- Two or more races0.6% · 179
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caballero
Caballero 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
#1,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,903
+8,633 bearers (+42.6%)
Per 100,000 9.80
Rank movement Up 396 places
2020
#1,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,902
-1 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 9.67
Rank movement Up 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,620 | 20,270 | 7.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,224 | 28,903 | 9.80 | +8,633 bearers (+42.6%) | Up 396 places |
| 2020 | #1,193 | 28,902 | 9.67 | -1 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 31 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 Caballero 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 | #1,224 | #1,193 | 2.5% |
| Count | 28,903 | 28,902 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 9.80 | 9.67 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caballero bearers went from 28,903 to 28,902 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,224 to #1,193.
FAQ
Caballero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caballero?
Name Census estimates that about 33,143 living Americans carry the surname Caballero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,342 residents.
How common is Caballero?
Caballero ranks #1,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,902 people with the surname Caballero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Caballero.
Has Caballero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caballero went from 28,903 recorded bearers to 28,902. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,224 to #1,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Caballero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caballero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Caballero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (25,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caballero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), White (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Caballero (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 Caballero mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a knight, nobleman, or gentleman rider. 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 Caballero (9.67 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 Caballero?
Want to know how many people have the last name Caballero? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.