2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Caracas
A surname of Spanish origin referring to the capital city of Venezuela.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Caracas. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caracas 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Caracas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caracas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caracas
The surname Caracas originates from Venezuela and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the indigenous Carib word "caracas," which means "watercourse." The name is closely associated with the city of Caracas, the capital and largest city of Venezuela, which was founded in 1567.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Caracas can be found in colonial Spanish documents and records from the 16th and 17th centuries. It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who lived near or were associated with the area where the city of Caracas was established.
One notable historical figure with the surname Caracas was Francisco Fajardo y Caracas (1548-1614), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who played a significant role in the colonization of Venezuela. He was also involved in the founding of the city of Caracas.
Another prominent individual with this surname was José María Caracas (1786-1868), a Venezuelan military officer and politician who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spanish rule. He served as the President of Venezuela from 1835 to 1839.
In the 18th century, the surname Caracas appeared in various records and manuscripts related to the colonial administration and governance of the region. For instance, Juan de Caracas (1702-1778) was a Spanish colonial official who served as the governor of the Province of Venezuela from 1762 to 1768.
The surname Caracas has also been associated with several notable writers and artists. For example, Andrés Caracas Álvarez (1891-1971) was a Venezuelan writer, poet, and journalist who was known for his contributions to the literary and cultural scene of his country.
Additionally, María Antonia Caracas (1803-1882) was a Venezuelan painter and one of the earliest female artists in Latin America to achieve significant recognition. Her works are considered important examples of early Venezuelan art and have been exhibited in various museums and galleries.
While the surname Caracas is primarily found in Venezuela, it has also spread to other parts of Latin America and the world due to migration and historical connections. However, its origins and strong ties to the city of Caracas make it a distinctly Venezuelan surname with a rich cultural and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caracas
Among Census respondents with the surname Caracas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Caracas 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 Caracas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.4% · 80
- White20.5% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caracas
Caracas 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,943 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 Caracas 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 | #137,327 | #144,270 | -5.1% |
| Count | 122 | 117 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caracas bearers went from 122 to 117 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #144,270.
FAQ
Caracas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caracas?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Caracas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Caracas?
Caracas ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Caracas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Caracas.
Has Caracas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caracas went from 122 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Caracas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caracas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%). 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 Caracas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caracas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.4%), White (20.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%). 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 Caracas (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 Caracas mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to the capital city of Venezuela. 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 Caracas (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 people have the surname Caracas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.