2000
#19,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Canseco
Derived from a place name meaning "dry plain" in Spanish, likely referring to an arid, treeless area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,490 Americans carry the last name Canseco. That puts it at #13,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canseco 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
2.5K
1 in 137,652
Census rank
#13,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,171 bearers of the surname Canseco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canseco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canseco
The surname Canseco originates from Spain, first appearing in the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "cansar," meaning "to tire" or "to weary," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who worked hard or had an exhausting occupation.
The earliest known recorded instance of the Canseco surname can be found in the medieval Spanish census records from Castile and León, dating back to the late 1200s. Some of the earliest recorded Canseco individuals include Juan Canseco, a farmer from the village of Valdés in the province of Burgos, born around 1275, and María Canseco, a seamstress from the city of Valladolid, born in the early 1300s.
In the 15th century, the Canseco name appeared in various historical documents related to the Spanish Inquisition. One notable figure was Pedro Canseco, a merchant from Seville who was accused of heresy and had his property confiscated by the Spanish Inquisition in 1492.
During the 16th century, the Canseco family gained prominence in the Spanish region of Extremadura. One of the most notable individuals was Diego Canseco de Ávila (1510-1578), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
In the 17th century, the Canseco surname spread to other parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable figure was Juan Canseco y Ortega (1635-1701), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, who served as the interim viceroy of New Spain from 1696 to 1701.
Another prominent individual with the Canseco surname was José Canseco (1776-1842), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Spain for a brief period in 1842.
As the Canseco family continued to expand and migrate, the name became more widespread, appearing in various records and historical documents across Spain and its former colonies throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canseco
Among Census respondents with the surname Canseco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Canseco 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 Canseco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 2,032
- White3.5% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 46
- Two or more races0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canseco
Canseco 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
#13,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,212
+964 bearers (+77.2%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 6,218 places
2020
#13,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
-41 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,908 | 1,248 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,690 | 2,212 | 0.75 | +964 bearers (+77.2%) | Up 6,218 places |
| 2020 | #13,406 | 2,171 | 0.73 | -41 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 284 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 Canseco 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 | #13,690 | #13,406 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,212 | 2,171 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.73 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canseco bearers went from 2,212 to 2,171 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 284 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,690 to #13,406.
FAQ
Canseco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canseco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,490 living Americans carry the surname Canseco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,652 residents.
How common is Canseco?
Canseco ranks #13,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,171 people with the surname Canseco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Canseco.
Has Canseco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canseco went from 2,212 recorded bearers to 2,171. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,690 to #13,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Canseco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canseco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Canseco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,032 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canseco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Canseco (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 Canseco mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dry plain" in Spanish, likely referring to an arid, treeless area. 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 Canseco (0.73 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 Canseco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.