2000
#4,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.67
Rare Last name
Candelaria
A Spanish surname referring to the Virgin Mary or the Catholic feast day of Candlemas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,517 Americans carry the last name Candelaria. That puts it at #4,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Candelaria 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
9.5K
1 in 36,015
Census rank
#4,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,299 bearers of the surname Candelaria in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Candelaria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Candelaria
The surname Candelaria is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "candela," meaning "candle." It is believed to have originated in the 15th or 16th century during the time of the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas.
The name Candelaria is closely associated with the Virgin of Candelaria, the patron saint of the Canary Islands. The name gained popularity in regions where the Virgin of Candelaria was venerated, such as the Canary Islands and parts of Latin America.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Candelaria can be found in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition, where a man named Juan de Candelaria was mentioned in a document from the late 16th century.
In Mexico, the name Candelaria is often associated with the town of Candelaria Loxicha in the state of Oaxaca, which was named after the Virgin of Candelaria. This town has a long history dating back to pre-Hispanic times.
Notable individuals with the surname Candelaria include:
1. Andrés de Candelaria (c. 1630-1709), a Spanish soldier and explorer who played a significant role in the colonization of Texas.
2. Fray Alonso de Candelaria (c. 1570-1640), a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who worked in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
3. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695), a renowned Mexican nun, philosopher, and poet who was born Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana.
4. María Candelaria (1909-1976), a Mexican actress best known for her role in the 1944 film of the same name.
5. Candelaria Quintero (1768-1835), a Mexican revolutionary who fought for Mexican independence from Spain.
The surname Candelaria has also been associated with various place names throughout Latin America, such as Candelaria, a municipality in the Colombian department of Valle del Cauca, and Candelaria, a town in the Mexican state of Campeche.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Candelaria
Among Census respondents with the surname Candelaria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Candelaria 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 Candelaria surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.2% · 6,575
- White12.5% · 1,041
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 286
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 243
- Two or more races1.0% · 84
- Black or African American0.8% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Candelaria
Candelaria 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
#4,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,483
+1,275 bearers (+17.7%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Up 350 places
2020
#4,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,299
-184 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.78
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,526 | 7,208 | 2.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,176 | 8,483 | 2.88 | +1,275 bearers (+17.7%) | Up 350 places |
| 2020 | #4,144 | 8,299 | 2.78 | -184 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 32 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 Candelaria 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 | #4,176 | #4,144 | 0.8% |
| Count | 8,483 | 8,299 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.88 | 2.78 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Candelaria bearers went from 8,483 to 8,299 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,176 to #4,144.
FAQ
Candelaria surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Candelaria?
Name Census estimates that about 9,517 living Americans carry the surname Candelaria. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,015 residents.
How common is Candelaria?
Candelaria ranks #4,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,299 people with the surname Candelaria. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,517), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Candelaria.
Has Candelaria become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Candelaria went from 8,483 recorded bearers to 8,299. That is a decrease of 184 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,176 to #4,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Candelaria?
Among Census respondents with the surname Candelaria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Candelaria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (6,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Candelaria appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.2%), White (12.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Candelaria (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 Candelaria mean?
A Spanish surname referring to the Virgin Mary or the Catholic feast day of Candlemas. 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 Candelaria (2.78 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 Americans have the surname Candelaria?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.