2000
#7,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Catalan
A surname indicating Catalan origin or ethnicity, likely referring to an ancestor from Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,372 Americans carry the last name Catalan. That puts it at #5,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,494 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catalan 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
7.4K
1 in 46,494
Census rank
#5,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,429 bearers of the surname Catalan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catalan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%) and White (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catalan
The surname Catalan originates from the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain and southeastern France. It dates back to the early medieval period, around the 9th to 12th centuries.
The name Catalan is derived from the Latin word "Catalaunus," which referred to the ancient Catalaunian Fields, a region that encompassed parts of modern-day Catalonia and Languedoc. This area was once inhabited by the Catalauni, a people of Celtic or Germanic descent.
In the 11th century, the Count of Barcelona adopted the title "Count of the Catalans," further solidifying the association between the name and the region. The name Catalan began to appear in various medieval documents and records from this time period.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Catalan can be found in the "Liber Feudorum Maior," a cartulary (collection of charters) from the Crown of Aragon, dating back to the 13th century. This document contains references to individuals with the surname Catalan, indicating their presence in the region.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Ramon Muntaner (c. 1265-1336), a Catalan soldier and chronicler, used the term "Catalans" to refer to the people of Catalonia in his literary work, "Crònica."
Another notable individual with the surname Catalan was Guillem de Catalan (c. 1300-1362), a Catalan theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris in the 14th century.
During the 15th century, a notable Catalan family bearing this surname was the Catalan family from Girona. This family produced several prominent figures, including Ferrer de Catalan (c. 1400-1470), a Catalan knight and diplomat.
In the 16th century, the name Catalan appeared in various records and documents across Catalonia and neighboring regions. One example is Miquel Catalan (c. 1540-1612), a Catalan painter and engraver known for his religious works.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Catalan has been associated with numerous individuals from Catalonia, reflecting the region's rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catalan
Among Census respondents with the surname Catalan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%) and White (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Catalan 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 Catalan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.5% · 5,623
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.3% · 405
- White4.9% · 316
- Two or more races0.7% · 47
- Black or African American0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catalan
Catalan 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
#5,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,899
+2,726 bearers (+65.3%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Up 2,282 places
2020
#5,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,429
-470 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,358 | 4,173 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,076 | 6,899 | 2.34 | +2,726 bearers (+65.3%) | Up 2,282 places |
| 2020 | #5,240 | 6,429 | 2.15 | -470 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 164 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 Catalan 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 | #5,076 | #5,240 | -3.2% |
| Count | 6,899 | 6,429 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.34 | 2.15 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catalan bearers went from 6,899 to 6,429 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 164 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,076 to #5,240.
FAQ
Catalan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catalan?
Name Census estimates that about 7,372 living Americans carry the surname Catalan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,494 residents.
How common is Catalan?
Catalan ranks #5,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,429 people with the surname Catalan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,372), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Catalan.
Has Catalan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catalan went from 6,899 recorded bearers to 6,429. That is a decrease of 470 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,076 to #5,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Catalan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catalan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%) and White (4.9%). 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 Catalan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (5,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catalan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%), White (4.9%). 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 Catalan (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 Catalan mean?
A surname indicating Catalan origin or ethnicity, likely referring to an ancestor from Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain. 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 Catalan (2.15 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 Catalan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.