2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Decespedes
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "from the meadows."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Decespedes. 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 Decespedes 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 Decespedes 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 Decespedes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Decespedes
The surname DECESPEDES originated in Spain during the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish words "de ces pedes", meaning "from those feet". This refers to an ancestor who had a distinctive physical feature or gait related to their feet.
The name first appeared in records from the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. It was initially spelled in various ways, such as "De Ces Pedes", "De Cespedes", and "De Zespedes", before the modern spelling became standardized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a manuscript from the 14th century that documented landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of Castile. The name appears as "De Cespedes" in reference to a landowner from the town of Écija in the province of Seville.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was Benito Arias Montano (1527-1598), a Spanish scholar and humanist who was involved in the preparation of the Biblia Polyglotta Complutensis, an important polyglot Bible published in 1572.
Another prominent individual was Diego de Zúñiga y Céspedes (1551-1627), a Spanish military leader and diplomat who served as the Governor of Milan and the Ambassador to the Holy See.
During the 17th century, Juan de Céspedes y Velasco (1619-1677) was a Spanish painter and poet who is considered one of the most important representatives of the Baroque period in Seville.
In the 18th century, Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses (1704-1784) was a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and was instrumental in the establishment of Spanish settlements in California.
Another notable figure from this time period was Andrés de Céspedes y Monroy (1727-1786), a Spanish priest and scholar who was elected as the Bishop of Havana in 1768 and later served as the Bishop of Valladolid.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Decespedes
Among Census respondents with the surname Decespedes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Decespedes 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 Decespedes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 99
- White5.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Decespedes
Decespedes 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,431 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-13 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,431 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 12,411 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 Decespedes 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 | #139,228 | #151,639 | -8.9% |
| Count | 120 | 107 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Decespedes bearers went from 120 to 107 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 12,411 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #151,639.
FAQ
Decespedes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Decespedes?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Decespedes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Decespedes?
Decespedes 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 Decespedes. 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 Decespedes.
Has Decespedes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Decespedes went from 120 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Decespedes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Decespedes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Decespedes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Decespedes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Decespedes (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 Decespedes mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "from the meadows." 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 Decespedes (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 many people are called Decespedes?
See how many people are called Decespedes on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.