2000
#8,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Colunga
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Asturias, Spain, likely referring to a dove or pigeon coop.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,133 Americans carry the last name Colunga. That puts it at #7,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colunga 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
5.1K
1 in 66,775
Census rank
#7,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,476 bearers of the surname Colunga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colunga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colunga
The surname Colunga originated in Spain, likely in the northern region of Asturias or Cantabria, during the early medieval period. The name is thought to derive from the Latin word "colungia," which referred to a specific type of farmland or agricultural settlement.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Cartulario de Covarrubias, a medieval document from the 10th century, which mentions a individual named "Colungo" who owned land in the area. This suggests that the surname may have evolved from a nickname or a place name associated with these early agricultural settlements.
In the 12th century, the surname appears in various records from the region, including the Becerro de las Behetrías, a register of landowners and their properties. One notable mention is of a certain Rodrigo Colunga, who held lands in the village of Colunga, located in the present-day municipality of Caravia, Asturias.
The name Colunga is also linked to several place names in northern Spain, such as the town of Colunga in Asturias, which may have been named after an early settler or landowner bearing the surname. Other variations of the name, like Colungo or Colongo, can be found in historical documents from the region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Colunga surname. One of the earliest was Juan de Colunga, a 15th-century Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
In the 16th century, Pedro de Colunga was a prominent Spanish architect and stonemason who worked on the construction of several churches and monasteries in Asturias and Cantabria.
During the 17th century, Diego de Colunga was a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Army and participated in various campaigns against the Dutch and Portuguese in the Low Countries and Brazil.
In the 19th century, José María Colunga y Vierna was a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Spanish Parliament and was a vocal supporter of the liberal movements of his time.
More recently, in the 20th century, Álvaro Colunga was a Mexican actor and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows from the 1940s to the 1970s, becoming a iconic figure in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colunga
Among Census respondents with the surname Colunga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Colunga 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 Colunga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.2% · 4,083
- White7.6% · 339
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
- Two or more races0.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colunga
Colunga 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
#7,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,616
+1,027 bearers (+28.6%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 1,222 places
2020
#7,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,476
-140 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,454 | 3,589 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,232 | 4,616 | 1.56 | +1,027 bearers (+28.6%) | Up 1,222 places |
| 2020 | #7,198 | 4,476 | 1.50 | -140 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 34 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 Colunga 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 | #7,232 | #7,198 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,616 | 4,476 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.50 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colunga bearers went from 4,616 to 4,476 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,232 to #7,198.
FAQ
Colunga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colunga?
Name Census estimates that about 5,133 living Americans carry the surname Colunga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,775 residents.
How common is Colunga?
Colunga ranks #7,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,476 people with the surname Colunga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Colunga.
Has Colunga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colunga went from 4,616 recorded bearers to 4,476. That is a decrease of 140 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,232 to #7,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Colunga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colunga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Colunga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (4,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colunga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.2%), White (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Colunga (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 Colunga mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Asturias, Spain, likely referring to a dove or pigeon coop. 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 Colunga (1.50 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 are called Colunga?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Colunga on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.