2000
#630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.16
Uncommon Last name
Camacho
A Spanish surname derived from a nickname meaning "flattened nose," likely referring to a person with such a feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 77,518 Americans carry the last name Camacho. That puts it at #484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Camacho 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 Camacho with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
78K
1 in 4,422
Census rank
#484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
68K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 67,599 bearers of the surname Camacho in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Camacho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Camacho
The surname Camacho is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "camacho," which referred to a young pig or piglet. It is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, possibly as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who worked with pigs or had a physical resemblance to a piglet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Camacho can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that documented the names of individuals and families in various regions of Spain. The name appears in this document as "Camacho," suggesting its usage at that time.
In the 16th century, the surname Camacho can be found in various historical records, such as the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like document that recorded the names and occupations of individuals in Spain during the mid-18th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Camacho, indicating its prevalence in different regions of Spain.
One notable historical figure with the surname Camacho was Juan Rodríguez Camacho (c. 1500-1570), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born in Seville, Spain, and played a significant role in the subjugation of the Aztec Empire.
Another prominent individual was Pedro Camacho (1604-1675), a Spanish painter and engraver from Madrid. He was known for his religious paintings and engravings, and his works can be found in various churches and museums in Spain.
In the 18th century, José Camacho y Quesada (1724-1809) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Panama from 1784 to 1789. He was born in Seville and played a crucial role in the governance of the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
During the 19th century, Manuel Camacho y Arroyo (1812-1876) was a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the President of Mexico for a brief period in 1855. He was born in Jalapa, Veracruz, and actively participated in various political and military conflicts in Mexico.
In more recent times, one notable figure with the surname Camacho was Manuel Camacho Solís (1957-), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of Urban Development and Ecology in Mexico. He was also involved in the negotiations during the Chiapas conflict in the 1990s.
The surname Camacho has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Camacho de Nuño, a municipality in the province of Ávila, and Camacho de Sayago, a village in the province of Zamora. These place names likely originated from individuals or families with the surname Camacho who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Camacho
Among Census respondents with the surname Camacho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Camacho 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 Camacho surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.4% · 59,732
- White6.4% · 4,345
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 2,378
- Two or more races0.8% · 539
- Black or African American0.7% · 463
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 142
Timeline
Historical Census data for Camacho
Camacho 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
#493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,893
+18,893 bearers (+38.6%)
Per 100,000 23.02
Rank movement Up 137 places
2020
#484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,599
-294 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 22.62
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #630 | 49,000 | 18.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #493 | 67,893 | 23.02 | +18,893 bearers (+38.6%) | Up 137 places |
| 2020 | #484 | 67,599 | 22.62 | -294 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 9 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 Camacho 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 | #493 | #484 | 1.8% |
| Count | 67,893 | 67,599 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 23.02 | 22.62 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Camacho bearers went from 67,893 to 67,599 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #493 to #484.
FAQ
Camacho surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Camacho?
Name Census estimates that about 77,518 living Americans carry the surname Camacho. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,422 residents.
How common is Camacho?
Camacho ranks #484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 67,599 people with the surname Camacho. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (77,518), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Camacho.
Has Camacho become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Camacho went from 67,893 recorded bearers to 67,599. That is a decrease of 294 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #493 to #484.
What does the Census say about the background of Camacho?
Among Census respondents with the surname Camacho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Camacho in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (59,732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Camacho appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.4%), White (6.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Camacho (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 Camacho mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a nickname meaning "flattened nose," likely referring to a person with such a feature. 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 Camacho (22.62 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 Camacho?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.