2000
#13,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Cancino
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Cancino, likely referring to an ancestor's origin or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,483 Americans carry the last name Cancino. That puts it at #10,114 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,408 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cancino 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
3.5K
1 in 98,408
Census rank
#10,114
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,037 bearers of the surname Cancino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10114th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cancino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cancino
The surname Cancino has its roots in Spain, originating in the late medieval period. It is believed to derive from the old Spanish word "cancino," which means "small gate" or "wicket." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a small gate or entrance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cancino can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. This document mentions a certain Pedro Cancino, who owned a small estate near the town of Seville.
In the 15th century, the name appears in several records from the city of Toledo, where a prominent family by the name of Cancino resided. One member of this family, Juan Cancino (1423-1498), was a respected scholar and theologian who authored several treatises on religious philosophy.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cancino name traveled with the conquistadors and settlers. In 1521, a soldier named Diego Cancino accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico. Cancino later received a land grant in what is now the state of Veracruz, where he established a hacienda.
Another notable figure was Bernardo Cancino (1567-1635), a Jesuit missionary who spent over two decades evangelizing in the Philippines. He is credited with establishing several missions and schools in the archipelago.
In the 18th century, the Cancino family had a significant presence in the region of Extremadura, Spain. One member, Manuel Cancino (1725-1802), was a wealthy landowner and politician who served as the mayor of the town of Cáceres.
As for place names associated with the surname, there is a small village called Cancinos in the province of León, Spain. This settlement likely took its name from early inhabitants who bore the Cancino surname.
While not as widespread as some other Spanish surnames, the Cancino name has left its mark in various parts of the world, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of those who carried it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cancino
Among Census respondents with the surname Cancino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cancino 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 Cancino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.3% · 2,683
- White6.5% · 196
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 135
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Two or more races0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cancino
Cancino 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
#10,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,139
+1,112 bearers (+54.9%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 3,449 places
2020
#10,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,037
-102 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,717 | 2,027 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,268 | 3,139 | 1.06 | +1,112 bearers (+54.9%) | Up 3,449 places |
| 2020 | #10,114 | 3,037 | 1.02 | -102 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 154 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 Cancino 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 | #10,268 | #10,114 | 1.5% |
| Count | 3,139 | 3,037 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.02 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cancino bearers went from 3,139 to 3,037 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,268 to #10,114.
FAQ
Cancino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cancino?
Name Census estimates that about 3,483 living Americans carry the surname Cancino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,408 residents.
How common is Cancino?
Cancino ranks #10,114 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,037 people with the surname Cancino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Cancino.
Has Cancino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cancino went from 3,139 recorded bearers to 3,037. That is a decrease of 102 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,268 to #10,114.
What does the Census say about the background of Cancino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cancino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Cancino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cancino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.3%), White (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Cancino (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 Cancino mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Cancino, likely referring to an ancestor's origin or residence. 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 Cancino (1.02 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 are called Cancino?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Cancino at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.