2000
#13,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Cacho
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near a prominent outcropping or cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,625 Americans carry the last name Cacho. That puts it at #12,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cacho 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
2.6K
1 in 130,573
Census rank
#12,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,289 bearers of the surname Cacho in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cacho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%) and Black (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cacho
The surname CACHO originated in Spain during the medieval period. It likely derives from the Spanish word 'cacho', meaning a piece or fragment, possibly referring to someone who worked with fragments of materials or lived in an area known for its fragments or ruins.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CACHO surname dates back to the 13th century, appearing in records from the region of Castilla y León in central Spain. It's believed the name may have initially referred to someone residing near or involved with a specific location related to fragments or ruins.
Throughout the centuries, the CACHO surname has been found in various historical documents, including tax records, census data, and parish registers across different regions of Spain. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Diego Cacho (c. 1456-1521), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who participated in the Reconquista against the Moors.
2. María Cacho (b. 1602), a Spanish poet and writer from Seville, known for her works on religious themes.
3. Juan Cacho de Tuesta (1618-1687), a Spanish jurist and scholar who served as a judge in the Royal Chancery of Granada.
4. Pedro Cacho Ramírez (1780-1845), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament) during the early 19th century.
5. Javier Cacho Garrido (1929-2012), a Spanish painter and artist known for his abstract expressionist works, many of which were exhibited in galleries across Europe.
While the CACHO surname is primarily associated with Spain, it has also spread to various Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, likely due to migration patterns over the past few centuries. However, its origins and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it likely emerged as a descriptive surname related to the concept of fragments or ruins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cacho
Among Census respondents with the surname Cacho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%) and Black (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cacho 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 Cacho surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino60.9% · 1,395
- Asian and Pacific Islander24.6% · 564
- Black or African American6.1% · 140
- White5.6% · 129
- Two or more races2.5% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cacho
Cacho 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
#12,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,467
+473 bearers (+23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 1,339 places
2020
#12,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,289
-178 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,893 | 1,994 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,554 | 2,467 | 0.84 | +473 bearers (+23.7%) | Up 1,339 places |
| 2020 | #12,848 | 2,289 | 0.77 | -178 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 294 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 Cacho 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 | #12,554 | #12,848 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,467 | 2,289 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.77 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cacho bearers went from 2,467 to 2,289 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,554 to #12,848.
FAQ
Cacho surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cacho?
Name Census estimates that about 2,625 living Americans carry the surname Cacho. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,573 residents.
How common is Cacho?
Cacho ranks #12,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,289 people with the surname Cacho. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cacho.
Has Cacho become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cacho went from 2,467 recorded bearers to 2,289. That is a decrease of 178 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,554 to #12,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Cacho?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cacho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Cacho in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (1,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cacho appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (60.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.6%), Black (6.1%). 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 Cacho (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 Cacho mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near a prominent outcropping or cliff. 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 Cacho (0.77 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 share the surname Cacho?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.