Find out how popular the last name Costilla is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Costilla.

Costilla, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Costilla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Costilla in America

Costilla is the 11062nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Costilla surname appeared 2,872 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Costilla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Costilla to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Costilla

The surname "COSTILLA" is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Spanish word "costilla," which means "rib" or "side." The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions like Aragon, Castile, and Andalusia.

One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Diego de Costilla, a prominent landowner and military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors in the 13th century. His name appears in several chronicles and records from that era, including the "Cantar de Mio Cid," an epic poem that recounts the exploits of the famous Castilian knight El Cid.

In the 15th century, the Costilla family gained prominence in the city of Seville, where several members held influential positions in the local government and church. One notable figure was Juan de Costilla, who served as a councilor in the Sevillian town hall during the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.

The surname Costilla also has connections to several place names in Spain, such as the village of Costilla in the province of Leon, and the Costilla de los Valles region in the Pyrenees mountains. These place names likely derived from the Spanish word "costilla" due to their geographical features, such as ridges or slopes resembling ribs.

During the colonial era, many Spaniards with the surname Costilla migrated to the Americas, particularly to regions like Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. One prominent figure from this period was Pedro de Costilla, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the early 16th century under the leadership of Pedro de Alvarado.

Another notable individual with the Costilla surname was Miguel de Costilla y Orbaiz, a Spanish military officer and governor of the Nuevo Reino de León (present-day Nuevo León, Mexico) in the late 18th century. He played a crucial role in defending the region against indigenous uprisings and establishing settlements in the northern frontier of New Spain.

Throughout history, the Costilla surname has been carried by various individuals from different walks of life, including clergymen, artists, and writers. For example, Juan de Costilla was a 16th-century Spanish painter known for his works in the Mannerist style, while Andrés de Costilla was a 17th-century Jesuit priest and historian who wrote extensively about the indigenous cultures of Paraguay.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Costilla

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Costilla.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Costilla was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Costilla has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Costilla was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Costilla, please contact us.

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