2000
#3,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.63
Uncommon Last name
Caraballo
A Spanish surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with a type of sailing ship called a caravel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,374 Americans carry the last name Caraballo. That puts it at #2,627 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caraballo 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
15K
1 in 22,294
Census rank
#2,627
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,407 bearers of the surname Caraballo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2627th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caraballo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caraballo
The surname Caraballo originated in Spain, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "caballo," meaning horse, suggesting a connection to professions or areas related to horses, such as horse breeding or cavalry units. The prefix "cara" may have been added to distinguish the name or indicate a particular location.
Historical records of the name Caraballo can be found in various regions of Spain, including Andalusia, Castile, and Extremadura. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a document from the town of Jerez de la Frontera, dated 1485, mentioning a certain Diego Caraballo.
In the 16th century, the Caraballo name gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. Juan Caraballo, born in Seville in 1520, was among the early Spanish settlers in Puerto Rico, where he established a cattle ranch and played a role in the island's colonization.
Another notable figure was Pedro Caraballo, a 17th-century Spanish military officer who served in various campaigns in the Caribbean and South America. He was born in Cádiz in 1612 and died in Havana, Cuba, in 1687.
The Caraballo name also has roots in Portugal, possibly originating from the town of Caravallo in the Alentejo region. In the 18th century, Manuel Caraballo, a Portuguese merchant, was a prominent figure in the trade between Lisbon and the Portuguese colonies in Brazil.
During the 19th century, the Caraballo surname gained recognition in the arts and literature. José María Caraballo, a Cuban poet and journalist born in Havana in 1832, was known for his contributions to the island's literary circle.
Another notable figure was Francisca Caraballo, a Spanish painter born in Seville in 1850. Her works, primarily portraiture and still life, were exhibited in various galleries across Europe during the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caraballo
Among Census respondents with the surname Caraballo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Caraballo 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 Caraballo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.7% · 12,156
- White6.6% · 886
- Black or African American1.8% · 236
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 61
- Two or more races0.5% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caraballo
Caraballo 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
#2,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,546
+2,752 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Up 470 places
2020
#2,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,407
+861 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Up 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,342 | 9,794 | 3.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,872 | 12,546 | 4.25 | +2,752 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 470 places |
| 2020 | #2,627 | 13,407 | 4.49 | +861 bearers (+6.9%) | Up 245 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 Caraballo 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 | #2,872 | #2,627 | 8.5% |
| Count | 12,546 | 13,407 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.25 | 4.49 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caraballo bearers went from 12,546 to 13,407 (+6.9% change). The surname moved up 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,872 to #2,627.
FAQ
Caraballo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caraballo?
Name Census estimates that about 15,374 living Americans carry the surname Caraballo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,294 residents.
How common is Caraballo?
Caraballo ranks #2,627 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,407 people with the surname Caraballo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Caraballo.
Has Caraballo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caraballo went from 12,546 recorded bearers to 13,407. That is an increase of 861 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,872 to #2,627.
What does the Census say about the background of Caraballo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caraballo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Caraballo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (12,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caraballo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.7%), White (6.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Caraballo (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 Caraballo mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with a type of sailing ship called a caravel. 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 Caraballo (4.49 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 common is the surname Caraballo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Caraballo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.