2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Caoagdan
A surname potentially derived from the Filipino word "agdan" meaning ladder or staircase.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Caoagdan. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caoagdan 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Caoagdan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caoagdan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caoagdan
The surname CAOAGDAN has its origins in the Philippines, traced back to the 16th century during the Spanish colonial period. It is derived from the Visayan word "caoagdan," meaning "eastward" or "towards the east." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or settlement situated in the eastern part of the Philippine archipelago.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CAOAGDAN can be found in the 17th-century Spanish colonial records, which documented land grants and settlements in the Visayan region. These records often listed the names of local chieftains and landowners, many of whom adopted Spanish-sounding surnames as a result of the Spanish policy of renaming the native population.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the CAOAGDAN surname began to appear more frequently in church records and local chronicles. Notable individuals bearing this name include Antonio CAOAGDAN (1745-1812), a respected community leader and landowner in the province of Leyte, and Maria CAOAGDAN (1792-1868), a prominent figure in the local Catholic Church who was known for her philanthropic efforts.
In the late 19th century, the CAOAGDAN surname gained prominence with the birth of Juan CAOAGDAN (1879-1957), a renowned scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the preservation of Filipino languages and cultures. His extensive work on the Visayan dialects and their historical connections with other Austronesian languages is widely recognized and studied by linguists and historians.
Another notable bearer of the CAOAGDAN surname was Emilia CAOAGDAN (1901-1978), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist. She established several schools in the Visayan region and advocated for the empowerment of women through education and social reforms.
In the 20th century, the CAOAGDAN name continued to be associated with various fields, including politics, arts, and academia. One such individual was Rodrigo CAOAGDAN (1922-2005), a respected painter and sculptor whose works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines.
While the CAOAGDAN surname may not be as widely known as some other Philippine surnames, its historical roots and the achievements of its bearers have left a lasting impact on the cultural and intellectual landscape of the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caoagdan
Among Census respondents with the surname Caoagdan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Caoagdan 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 Caoagdan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.9% · 102
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caoagdan
Caoagdan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 7,379 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 Caoagdan 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 | #156,044 | #148,665 | 4.7% |
| Count | 104 | 111 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caoagdan bearers went from 104 to 111 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 7,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #148,665.
FAQ
Caoagdan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caoagdan?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Caoagdan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Caoagdan?
Caoagdan ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Caoagdan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Caoagdan.
Has Caoagdan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caoagdan went from 104 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Caoagdan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caoagdan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Caoagdan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caoagdan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.9%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Caoagdan (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 Caoagdan mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Filipino word "agdan" meaning ladder or staircase. 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 Caoagdan (0.04 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 Caoagdan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.