2000
#13,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Calles
Derived from the Spanish word "calles," meaning "streets," likely referring to someone who lived near or on a street.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,601 Americans carry the last name Calles. That puts it at #9,831 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,183 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calles 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
3.6K
1 in 95,183
Census rank
#9,831
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,140 bearers of the surname Calles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9831st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calles
The surname Calles is of Spanish origin, originating in the 16th century or earlier. It is derived from the Spanish word "calle," meaning "street" or "lane." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptor for someone who lived on a particular street or in a specific neighborhood.
In Spain, the surname Calles was most prevalent in the regions of Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from these areas, such as parish records and municipal registers.
One notable historical figure with the surname Calles was Plutarco Elías Calles, a Mexican general and president who served from 1924 to 1928. He played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution and the establishment of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which dominated Mexican politics for much of the 20th century.
Another individual of note was Juan Calles, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Calles was one of Cortés's trusted lieutenants and played a role in the subjugation of the Aztec Empire.
In the realm of literature, the surname Calles is associated with the Spanish writer José Calles, who lived in the 19th century and authored several works of fiction and poetry. His most notable work was a novel titled "El Mundo Subterráneo" (The Underground World), published in 1876.
The name Calles can also be found in historical records from other Spanish-speaking regions, such as Latin America. For instance, in the late 18th century, there was a prominent figure named José María Calles who served as the governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila.
Another notable individual with the surname Calles was Pedro Calles, a Spanish military commander who fought against the Moors in the 15th century during the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Islamic rule.
While the surname Calles is primarily associated with Spain and Spanish-speaking regions, it has also been adopted by people of other nationalities over time, though its origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calles
Among Census respondents with the surname Calles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Calles 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 Calles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.9% · 2,793
- White7.6% · 238
- Black or African American1.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- Two or more races0.9% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calles
Calles 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
#10,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,026
+1,042 bearers (+52.5%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 3,368 places
2020
#9,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,140
+114 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,957 | 1,984 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,589 | 3,026 | 1.03 | +1,042 bearers (+52.5%) | Up 3,368 places |
| 2020 | #9,831 | 3,140 | 1.05 | +114 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 758 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 Calles 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 | #10,589 | #9,831 | 7.2% |
| Count | 3,026 | 3,140 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 1.05 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calles bearers went from 3,026 to 3,140 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 758 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,589 to #9,831.
FAQ
Calles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calles?
Name Census estimates that about 3,601 living Americans carry the surname Calles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,183 residents.
How common is Calles?
Calles ranks #9,831 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,140 people with the surname Calles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,601), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Calles.
Has Calles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calles went from 3,026 recorded bearers to 3,140. That is an increase of 114 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,589 to #9,831.
What does the Census say about the background of Calles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (1.4%). 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 Calles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,793 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.9%), White (7.6%), Black (1.4%). 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 Calles (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 Calles mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "calles," meaning "streets," likely referring to someone who lived near or on a 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 Calles (1.05 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 Calles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.