2000
#443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,054
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.86
Uncommon Last name
Carrillo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "carrillo," meaning cheek, likely referring to a person with prominent cheeks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 99,207 Americans carry the last name Carrillo. That puts it at #354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrillo 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carrillo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
99K
1 in 3,455
Census rank
#354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
28.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
87K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 86,513 bearers of the surname Carrillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrillo
The surname Carrillo originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "carrillo," which means a small cart or wagon. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with carts or wagons, perhaps a cartwright or carter.
The earliest recorded instances of the Carrillo surname can be found in medieval Spanish documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile and Andalusia, where it was associated with several prominent noble families.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the surname Carrillo was Pedro Carrillo de Huete (1300-1382), a prominent Spanish prelate who served as Archbishop of Toledo and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He played a significant role in the political and religious affairs of Spain during the reign of King Pedro I.
Another notable figure with the Carrillo surname was Alonso Carrillo de Acuña (1410-1482), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as Archbishop of Toledo and a member of the influential Carrillo family of Castile. He was a key figure during the reign of King Henry IV of Castile and was involved in several political intrigues and conflicts.
In the 16th century, the Carrillo surname gained further prominence with the explorer and conquistador Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera Carrillo (1510-1578), who was part of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. He participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro and later served as governor of the province of Esmeraldas in present-day Ecuador.
During the 17th century, the Carrillo surname was associated with several notable writers and poets, including Gregorio Carrillo y Sotomayor (1601-1675), a Spanish poet and dramatist known for his religious works, and Francisco Carrillo de Mendoza y Ponce de León (1637-1702), a Spanish poet and playwright who served as a member of the Inquisition.
In the 19th century, one of the most prominent figures with the Carrillo surname was Dolores Carrillo de Cabrera (1817-1869), a Mexican writer and educator who played a significant role in the promotion of women's education and rights in Mexico. She founded several schools and published works on education and literature.
The Carrillo surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, military leaders, explorers, writers, and educators. Its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it emerged as a descriptive nickname for those involved in the transportation of goods and materials.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrillo 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 Carrillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 80,338
- White5.2% · 4,536
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 696
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 360
- Two or more races0.3% · 299
- Black or African American0.3% · 284
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrillo
Carrillo 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
#340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 91,129
+24,075 bearers (+35.9%)
Per 100,000 30.89
Rank movement Up 103 places
2020
#354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,513
-4,616 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 28.94
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #443 | 67,054 | 24.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #340 | 91,129 | 30.89 | +24,075 bearers (+35.9%) | Up 103 places |
| 2020 | #354 | 86,513 | 28.94 | -4,616 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 14 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 Carrillo 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 | #340 | #354 | -4.1% |
| Count | 91,129 | 86,513 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 30.89 | 28.94 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrillo bearers went from 91,129 to 86,513 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #340 to #354.
FAQ
Carrillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrillo?
Name Census estimates that about 99,207 living Americans carry the surname Carrillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,455 residents.
How common is Carrillo?
Carrillo ranks #354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 86,513 people with the surname Carrillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (99,207), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Carrillo.
Has Carrillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrillo went from 91,129 recorded bearers to 86,513. That is a decrease of 4,616 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #340 to #354.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Carrillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (80,338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Carrillo (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 Carrillo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "carrillo," meaning cheek, likely referring to a person with prominent cheeks. 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 Carrillo (28.94 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 Carrillo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.