2000
#15,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,748
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Compean
A toponymic surname of Spanish origin, derived from a place name meaning "field of peas" or "pea patch."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,610 Americans carry the last name Compean. That puts it at #12,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Compean 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
2.6K
1 in 131,324
Census rank
#12,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,276 bearers of the surname Compean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Compean, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Black (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Compean
The surname Compean has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "compaño," which means companion or fellow traveler. This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who traveled together or were part of a group or fellowship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Compean can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the region of Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This document mentions individuals with the surname Compean, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
During the 15th century, the Compean surname appeared in various historical records in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain. Some of these records include references to individuals with the name Compean who held positions of importance or were involved in notable events.
One such individual was Juan Compean, a military commander who served under the Catholic Monarchs during the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. He was known for his bravery and leadership in several battles against the Moors, including the capture of Granada in 1492.
In the 16th century, the Compean surname spread beyond Spain as Spanish colonization and exploration expanded to the Americas. Records from this time period show individuals with the name Compean settling in various parts of Latin America, including Mexico and Peru.
One notable figure from this era was Pedro Compean, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. Compean played a crucial role in the conquest of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, in 1521.
Another individual of historical significance was María Compean, a nun who lived in the 17th century and was known for her work in establishing schools and educational institutions for underprivileged children in Spain. She was recognized for her dedication to education and her efforts to improve the lives of those in need.
During the 18th century, the Compean surname appeared in various regions of Spain and its colonies, with some individuals holding positions of importance within the Spanish Empire. One such individual was Antonio Compean, a colonial administrator who served as the governor of the province of Panama in the late 1700s.
As the centuries passed, the Compean surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including politics, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Compean
Among Census respondents with the surname Compean, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Black (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Compean 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 Compean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.9% · 2,160
- White4.5% · 102
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Compean
Compean 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
#13,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,298
+550 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 2,133 places
2020
#12,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,276
-22 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,404 | 1,748 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,271 | 2,298 | 0.78 | +550 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 2,133 places |
| 2020 | #12,910 | 2,276 | 0.76 | -22 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 361 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 Compean 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 | #13,271 | #12,910 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,298 | 2,276 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.76 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Compean bearers went from 2,298 to 2,276 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,271 to #12,910.
FAQ
Compean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Compean?
Name Census estimates that about 2,610 living Americans carry the surname Compean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,324 residents.
How common is Compean?
Compean ranks #12,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,276 people with the surname Compean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Compean.
Has Compean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Compean went from 2,298 recorded bearers to 2,276. That is a decrease of 22 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,271 to #12,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Compean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Compean, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Black (0.2%). 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 Compean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (2,160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Compean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.9%), White (4.5%), Black (0.2%). 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 Compean (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 Compean mean?
A toponymic surname of Spanish origin, derived from a place name meaning "field of peas" or "pea patch." 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 Compean (0.76 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 last name Compean?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Compean? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.