2000
#8,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Candelario
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a person who makes or sells candles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,986 Americans carry the last name Candelario. That puts it at #6,271 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Candelario 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
6.0K
1 in 57,259
Census rank
#6,271
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,220 bearers of the surname Candelario in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6271st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Candelario, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Candelario
The surname Candelario has its origins in Spain and can be traced back to the 16th century. It derives from the Spanish word "candelaria," which refers to the Catholic feast day of Candlemas, celebrated on February 2nd. This religious festival commemorates the presentation of Jesus Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.
The name Candelario likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to a person who lived near a church or place associated with the Candlemas celebration. It may have also been given to individuals born or baptized on or around this feast day.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Candelario can be found in the records of the Inquisition in Valladolid, Spain, from the late 16th century. A man named Juan Candelario was mentioned in these documents, though no further details about him are provided.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with this surname was Miguel Candelario, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War. He was born in 1632 in Seville and died in 1701 in Brussels.
Another individual of note was María Candelario, a Spanish mystic and nun who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. She was born in 1661 in Valladolid and is known for her religious visions and writings, which were published posthumously.
In the 19th century, there was a prominent Mexican politician and writer named José María Candelario. He was born in 1818 in Puebla and played a significant role in the Reform War and the French Intervention in Mexico. He died in 1875 in Mexico City.
A more recent figure was the Spanish painter and sculptor, Enrique Candelario, who was born in 1882 in Madrid. He was known for his works in the Impressionist and Modernist styles and exhibited in various galleries throughout Europe before his death in 1957.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the surname Candelario throughout history, highlighting its Spanish origins and connection to religious celebrations and place names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Candelario
Among Census respondents with the surname Candelario, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Candelario 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 Candelario surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 4,621
- White5.8% · 304
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 164
- Two or more races1.0% · 51
- Black or African American1.0% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Candelario
Candelario 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
#6,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,053
+1,319 bearers (+35.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Up 1,482 places
2020
#6,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,220
+167 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Up 413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,166 | 3,734 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,684 | 5,053 | 1.71 | +1,319 bearers (+35.3%) | Up 1,482 places |
| 2020 | #6,271 | 5,220 | 1.75 | +167 bearers (+3.3%) | Up 413 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 Candelario 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 | #6,684 | #6,271 | 6.2% |
| Count | 5,053 | 5,220 | 3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.75 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Candelario bearers went from 5,053 to 5,220 (+3.3% change). The surname moved up 413 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,684 to #6,271.
FAQ
Candelario surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Candelario?
Name Census estimates that about 5,986 living Americans carry the surname Candelario. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,259 residents.
How common is Candelario?
Candelario ranks #6,271 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,220 people with the surname Candelario. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,986), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Candelario.
Has Candelario become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Candelario went from 5,053 recorded bearers to 5,220. That is an increase of 167 (+3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,684 to #6,271.
What does the Census say about the background of Candelario?
Among Census respondents with the surname Candelario, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Candelario in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (4,621 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Candelario appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), White (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Candelario (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 Candelario mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a person who makes or sells candles. 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 Candelario (1.75 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 Candelario?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.