2000
#19,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,247
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Calleja
A surname of Spanish origin, often found in Spain and Latin America, meaning 'small path' or 'narrow street'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,049 Americans carry the last name Calleja. That puts it at #15,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calleja 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 Calleja with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 167,279
Census rank
#15,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,787 bearers of the surname Calleja in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calleja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.4%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calleja
The surname Calleja originated in Spain during medieval times. It is derived from the Catalan and Spanish word "calleja," meaning a narrow street or alley. This name likely originated as a descriptive identifier for someone who lived on a small street or alley.
The earliest known record of the Calleja surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Catalonia, Spain. Records show the name appearing in various documents and manuscripts from that time period, often spelled as "Calleia" or "Calleya."
One notable early mention of the Calleja name is found in the "Llibre de Privilegis de la Ciutat de València" (Book of Privileges of the City of Valencia), a medieval manuscript from the 14th century. This document records a certain Bernat Calleja, a citizen of Valencia, who was granted land privileges in 1327.
In the 15th century, the Calleja surname began to spread beyond Catalonia and appeared in other regions of Spain, such as Aragon and Castile. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, including "Callexa" and "Calleha."
One of the earliest known individuals with the Calleja surname was Juan Calleja, a 16th-century Spanish nobleman and landowner from Seville. He was born in 1512 and played a significant role in the colonization efforts of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.
Another notable figure was Diego Calleja y Sanz (1788-1866), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the 49th Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1813 to 1816.
In the 19th century, the Calleja surname gained prominence with the birth of Rafael Calleja (1833-1901), a Spanish painter and illustrator known for his works depicting scenes from daily life in Madrid.
The name Calleja also has historical ties to the Canary Islands, where a prominent family with this surname resided. One member, José Calleja Isasi (1897-1976), was a renowned lawyer and politician who served as the president of the Cabildo Insular (Island Council) of Tenerife from 1936 to 1946.
Another notable individual with the Calleja surname was Enrique Calleja Isasi (1928-2022), a Spanish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Calleja Group, a major conglomerate in the Canary Islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calleja
Among Census respondents with the surname Calleja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.4%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Calleja 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 Calleja surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino63.4% · 1,133
- White24.8% · 443
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.8% · 175
- Two or more races1.6% · 28
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calleja
Calleja 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
#15,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,868
+621 bearers (+49.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 4,292 places
2020
#15,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,787
-81 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,931 | 1,247 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,639 | 1,868 | 0.63 | +621 bearers (+49.8%) | Up 4,292 places |
| 2020 | #15,731 | 1,787 | 0.60 | -81 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 92 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 Calleja 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 | #15,639 | #15,731 | -0.6% |
| Count | 1,868 | 1,787 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.60 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calleja bearers went from 1,868 to 1,787 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,639 to #15,731.
FAQ
Calleja surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calleja?
Name Census estimates that about 2,049 living Americans carry the surname Calleja. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,279 residents.
How common is Calleja?
Calleja ranks #15,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,787 people with the surname Calleja. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Calleja.
Has Calleja become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calleja went from 1,868 recorded bearers to 1,787. That is a decrease of 81 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,639 to #15,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Calleja?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calleja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.4%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%). 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 Calleja in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (1,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calleja appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (63.4%), White (24.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%). 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 Calleja (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 Calleja mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, often found in Spain and Latin America, meaning 'small path' or 'narrow 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 Calleja (0.60 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 Calleja?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.