2000
#9,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Calle
A toponymic surname derived from the Spanish word "calle," meaning "street," likely referring to someone who lived on a particular street.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,394 Americans carry the last name Calle. That puts it at #6,882 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calle 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
5.4K
1 in 63,544
Census rank
#6,882
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,704 bearers of the surname Calle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6882nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calle, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calle
The surname Calle has its origins in Spain and dates back several centuries. It is derived from the Spanish word "calle," meaning "street" or "lane." The name likely originated as a descriptive reference to individuals who lived on a particular street or were associated with a specific location.
One of the earliest records of the surname Calle can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed that the name first appeared in the region of Catalonia, where it was commonly used to identify families or individuals residing in specific neighborhoods or areas.
In the 15th century, the name Calle gained prominence in the city of Valencia, where several prominent families bearing this surname were documented. One notable figure was Juan de la Calle, a renowned artist and sculptor who lived from 1475 to 1542. His works adorned many churches and public buildings throughout Valencia.
The surname Calle also has a historical connection to the Canary Islands, where it was introduced during the Spanish colonization of the archipelago in the 15th and 16th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name in the Canaries is found in the chronicles of the conquest of Gran Canaria, where a soldier named Pedro Calle is mentioned as participating in the battles against the native Guanche population.
In the 17th century, the surname Calle spread to other parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Extremadura. During this period, several individuals with this last name achieved recognition, such as Gaspar de la Calle, a celebrated painter from Seville who lived from 1595 to 1648.
Another notable figure was Diego de la Calle, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe between 1519 and 1522. De la Calle played a crucial role in the expedition and was one of the few survivors who returned to Spain after Magellan's death.
In the 18th century, the surname Calle gained prominence in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru, where Spanish colonists and settlers carried the name. One prominent individual was José María Calle, a Mexican military officer and politician who lived from 1778 to 1833 and played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calle
Among Census respondents with the surname Calle, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Calle 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 Calle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 4,349
- White6.1% · 286
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
- Two or more races0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calle
Calle 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
#6,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,091
+2,088 bearers (+69.5%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 3,260 places
2020
#6,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,704
-387 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,909 | 3,003 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,649 | 5,091 | 1.73 | +2,088 bearers (+69.5%) | Up 3,260 places |
| 2020 | #6,882 | 4,704 | 1.57 | -387 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 233 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 Calle 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 | #6,649 | #6,882 | -3.5% |
| Count | 5,091 | 4,704 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.57 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calle bearers went from 5,091 to 4,704 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 233 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,649 to #6,882.
FAQ
Calle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calle?
Name Census estimates that about 5,394 living Americans carry the surname Calle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,544 residents.
How common is Calle?
Calle ranks #6,882 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,704 people with the surname Calle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Calle.
Has Calle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calle went from 5,091 recorded bearers to 4,704. That is a decrease of 387 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,649 to #6,882.
What does the Census say about the background of Calle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calle, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Calle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Calle (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 Calle mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the Spanish word "calle," meaning "street," likely referring to someone who lived on a particular street. 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 Calle (1.57 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 common is the surname Calle?
You can see how many people are called Calle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.