2000
#2,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,365
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Collazo
A Galician-Portuguese surname derived from the word "collazo," meaning a peasant or serf bound to a lord's land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,640 Americans carry the last name Collazo. That puts it at #2,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,598 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collazo 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
17K
1 in 20,598
Census rank
#2,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,511 bearers of the surname Collazo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collazo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Collazo
The surname Collazo originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Catalonia. It derives from the Catalan word "coll," meaning "neck" or "hill," suggesting that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive name or a reference to a geographic location.
The earliest recorded instances of the Collazo surname can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1285, a document from the city of Barcelona mentioned a certain Guillem Collazo, indicating the surname's presence in the area during that time.
In the late 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with a notable figure named Jaume Collazo being accused of heresy in 1492. This provides insight into the presence of the Collazo family in Spain during the tumultuous period of the Inquisition.
During the 16th century, the Collazo surname gained prominence in the Americas as a result of Spanish exploration and colonization. One notable individual was Juan Collazo, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
In the 17th century, the Collazo family established itself in various parts of the Spanish Empire. Pedro Collazo, a Spanish soldier born in 1612, played a significant role in the defense of Puerto Rico against Dutch and English attacks.
As the centuries progressed, the Collazo surname continued to spread across different regions. In the 19th century, a prominent figure was José Collazo y Collazo, a Cuban revolutionary born in 1835 who fought against Spanish colonial rule.
Another notable bearer of the Collazo name was Oscar Collazo, a Puerto Rican nationalist born in 1914. He gained notoriety for his involvement in an attempted assassination of President Harry S. Truman in 1950, an act motivated by his pursuit of Puerto Rican independence.
The Collazo surname has also been associated with various artistic and literary figures. One such example is the Cuban writer and poet Ramón Collazo, born in 1887, who made significant contributions to the literary landscape of his time.
Overall, the Collazo surname has a rich history rooted in the Iberian Peninsula, with its origins dating back to the 13th century. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have left their mark in various fields, from exploration and conquest to revolutionary movements and artistic endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collazo
Among Census respondents with the surname Collazo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Collazo 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 Collazo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 13,203
- White6.9% · 1,003
- Black or African American1.1% · 154
- Two or more races0.6% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collazo
Collazo 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
#2,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,369
+3,004 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 4.87
Rank movement Up 386 places
2020
#2,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,511
+142 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 4.85
Rank movement Up 87 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,907 | 11,365 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,521 | 14,369 | 4.87 | +3,004 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 386 places |
| 2020 | #2,434 | 14,511 | 4.85 | +142 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 87 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 Collazo 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 | #2,521 | #2,434 | 3.5% |
| Count | 14,369 | 14,511 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.87 | 4.85 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collazo bearers went from 14,369 to 14,511 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 87 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,521 to #2,434.
FAQ
Collazo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collazo?
Name Census estimates that about 16,640 living Americans carry the surname Collazo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,598 residents.
How common is Collazo?
Collazo ranks #2,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,511 people with the surname Collazo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Collazo.
Has Collazo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collazo went from 14,369 recorded bearers to 14,511. That is an increase of 142 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,521 to #2,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Collazo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collazo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Black (1.1%). 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 Collazo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (13,203 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collazo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (6.9%), Black (1.1%). 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 Collazo (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 Collazo mean?
A Galician-Portuguese surname derived from the word "collazo," meaning a peasant or serf bound to a lord's land. 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 Collazo (4.85 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 Collazo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.