2000
#550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.27
Uncommon Last name
Calderon
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Calderón, meaning "large cauldron" or "great kettle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 87,642 Americans carry the last name Calderon. That puts it at #415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,911 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calderon 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 Calderon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
88K
1 in 3,911
Census rank
#415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 76,428 bearers of the surname Calderon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calderon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calderon
The surname Calderon has its origins in Spain and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "calderon," which means a large kettle or cauldron. The name was likely originally an occupational surname, given to someone who worked as a coppersmith or metalworker, crafting such cauldrons or kettles.
The earliest recorded instances of the Calderon surname can be traced back to the 13th century in regions like Castile and Andalusia. It was particularly prevalent in areas with a strong metalworking tradition, such as Seville and Toledo. The name may have also been associated with certain place names, like Calderón de la Barca, a municipality in the province of Soria.
One of the most notable historical figures with the Calderon surname was Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), a celebrated Spanish poet, playwright, and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. His works, such as "Life is a Dream" and "The Constant Prince," are considered masterpieces of Spanish literature.
Another prominent Calderon was Rodrigo Calderón (1576-1621), a Spanish nobleman and the powerful favorite of King Philip III. However, his influence and wealth led to his downfall, and he was eventually executed for conspiracy and treason.
In the realm of art, the Spanish painter Antonio Calderón (1663-1726) was known for his religious and mythological works, many of which adorned churches and palaces in Spain during the Baroque period.
The Calderon surname also found its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization. One example is José de Calderon (1637-1678), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who helped establish settlements in present-day Ecuador and Colombia.
Lastly, the Mexican painter and muralist José Clemente Orozco Calderón (1883-1949) was a prominent figure in the Mexican Renaissance, known for his powerful and socially critical murals depicting the struggles of the Mexican people.
These are just a few notable examples of individuals who have borne the Calderon surname throughout history, a name with deep roots in the metalworking traditions and cultural heritage of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calderon
Among Census respondents with the surname Calderon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Calderon 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 Calderon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 70,235
- White5.1% · 3,869
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 1,353
- Black or African American0.7% · 512
- Two or more races0.4% · 313
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 146
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calderon
Calderon 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
#421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 77,085
+22,394 bearers (+40.9%)
Per 100,000 26.13
Rank movement Up 129 places
2020
#415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,428
-657 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 25.57
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #550 | 54,691 | 20.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #421 | 77,085 | 26.13 | +22,394 bearers (+40.9%) | Up 129 places |
| 2020 | #415 | 76,428 | 25.57 | -657 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 6 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 Calderon 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 | #421 | #415 | 1.4% |
| Count | 77,085 | 76,428 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 26.13 | 25.57 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calderon bearers went from 77,085 to 76,428 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #421 to #415.
FAQ
Calderon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calderon?
Name Census estimates that about 87,642 living Americans carry the surname Calderon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,911 residents.
How common is Calderon?
Calderon ranks #415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 76,428 people with the surname Calderon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (87,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Calderon.
Has Calderon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calderon went from 77,085 recorded bearers to 76,428. That is a decrease of 657 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #421 to #415.
What does the Census say about the background of Calderon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calderon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Calderon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (70,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calderon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Calderon (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 Calderon mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Calderón, meaning "large cauldron" or "great kettle." 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 Calderon (25.57 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 Americans have the surname Calderon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.