2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dapena
A surname originating from Spain indicating someone who lived near a vast expanse of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Dapena. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dapena 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Dapena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dapena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dapena
The surname Dapena originates from the Galicia region of northwestern Spain, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Galician word "da pena," meaning "from the rock" or "from the crag," suggesting a connection to a particular geographical feature or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dapena surname can be found in the Tumbo de Fidalgo, a 13th-century manuscript that documented the nobility and aristocracy of Galicia. This indicates that the name was already established among the upper echelons of society during that time period.
In the 15th century, the Dapena family played a significant role in the Irmandiño Revolts, a series of uprisings against the nobility and clergy in Galicia. Notably, Roi Dapena was a prominent leader in these revolts, which aimed to address issues of social injustice and oppression.
The town of Pena, located in the municipality of Covelo, province of Pontevedra, Galicia, is believed to be closely linked to the origin of the Dapena surname. It is possible that the name originated from this specific location or a similar place with the word "pena" in its name.
Notable individuals with the surname Dapena throughout history include:
1. Álvaro Dapena (born c. 1480), a Galician nobleman and soldier who fought in the Conquista of the Canary Islands in the early 16th century.
2. Rodrigo Dapena (c. 1520 - 1587), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on expeditions to Florida and the Caribbean.
3. Juan Dapena (c. 1650 - 1720), a renowned Galician architect known for his work on various churches and monasteries in the region.
4. María Dapena (1856 - 1933), a Galician writer and poet who contributed to the Renaissance of Galician literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Xosé Dapena (1919 - 2002), a prominent Spanish linguist and lexicographer who specialized in the Galician language and authored several dictionaries and language reference works.
The Dapena surname has maintained a strong presence in Spain, particularly in Galicia, but has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dapena
Among Census respondents with the surname Dapena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dapena 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 Dapena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 94
- White8.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dapena
Dapena appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-11 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 10,499 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 Dapena 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 | #141,140 | #151,639 | -7.4% |
| Count | 118 | 107 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dapena bearers went from 118 to 107 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 10,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #151,639.
FAQ
Dapena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dapena?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Dapena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Dapena?
Dapena ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Dapena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dapena.
Has Dapena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dapena went from 118 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Dapena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dapena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Dapena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dapena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), White (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Dapena (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 Dapena mean?
A surname originating from Spain indicating someone who lived near a vast expanse of 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 Dapena (0.04 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 Dapena?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Dapena at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.