2000
#13,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,024
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Costilla
A Spanish surname derived from the word "costilla," meaning "rib," likely referring to a person's physical characteristics or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,077 Americans carry the last name Costilla. That puts it at #11,264 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,392 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Costilla 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
3.1K
1 in 111,392
Census rank
#11,264
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,683 bearers of the surname Costilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11264th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Costilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions like Aragon, Castile, and Andalusia.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Costilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Costilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Costilla 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 Costilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.7% · 2,488
- White6.1% · 163
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- Two or more races0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Costilla
Costilla 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
#11,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,872
+848 bearers (+41.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 2,669 places
2020
#11,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,683
-189 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 202 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,731 | 2,024 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,062 | 2,872 | 0.97 | +848 bearers (+41.9%) | Up 2,669 places |
| 2020 | #11,264 | 2,683 | 0.90 | -189 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 202 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 Costilla 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 | #11,062 | #11,264 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,872 | 2,683 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.90 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Costilla bearers went from 2,872 to 2,683 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 202 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,062 to #11,264.
FAQ
Costilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Costilla?
Name Census estimates that about 3,077 living Americans carry the surname Costilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,392 residents.
How common is Costilla?
Costilla ranks #11,264 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,683 people with the surname Costilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Costilla.
Has Costilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Costilla went from 2,872 recorded bearers to 2,683. That is a decrease of 189 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,062 to #11,264.
What does the Census say about the background of Costilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Costilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Black (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 Costilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Costilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.7%), White (6.1%), Black (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 Costilla (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 Costilla mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "costilla," meaning "rib," likely referring to a person's physical characteristics or occupation. 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 Costilla (0.90 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 common is the surname Costilla?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Costilla, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.