2000
#64,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 290
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Decordova
A habitational surname referring to someone from Cordova, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 303 Americans carry the last name Decordova. That puts it at #78,145 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,131,202 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Decordova 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
303
1 in 1,131,202
Census rank
#78,145
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
264
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 264 bearers of the surname Decordova in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 78145th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Decordova, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 41.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Black (15.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Decordova
The surname DECORDOVA has its origins in Spain, with the first records of this name appearing in the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish phrase "de Córdoba," which translates to "from Córdoba," referring to the city of Córdoba located in the Andalusia region of southern Spain.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name DECORDOVA was found in various historical documents and records in Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. Some of the earliest known bearers of this surname were individuals who had migrated from the city of Córdoba to other parts of Spain, potentially after the Reconquista, when the Iberian Peninsula was reclaimed from Moorish rule.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DECORDOVA can be traced back to a 15th-century manuscript that mentions a nobleman named Juan de Córdova, who held a prominent position in the court of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. This document provides valuable insight into the historical significance of the name during the period of Spanish unification and exploration.
In the 16th century, the name DECORDOVA gained further prominence with the exploits of Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. While his given name was Hernán, his full name was Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, with "Cortés" being a variant spelling of DECORDOVA, derived from the city of Córdoba. His birth and death years were 1485-1547.
Another notable figure from this era was Diego de Córdova, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Cuba and served as the first governor of the island from 1512 to 1516. He was born around 1460 and died in 1524.
In the 17th century, the name DECORDOVA continued to be present in various records and documents across Spain and its colonies. One prominent individual was Pedro de Córdova y Figueroa, a Spanish military commander and governor of Venezuela from 1619 to 1623. He was born in 1588 and died in 1646.
During the 18th century, the name DECORDOVA gained recognition in literature with the works of Luis de Córdova y Córdova, a Spanish writer, and poet. He was born in 1706 and died in 1768.
In more recent times, one notable bearer of the surname DECORDOVA was José María Córdova, a Colombian military leader and statesman who played a crucial role in the struggle for independence from Spain. He was born in 1799 and died in 1829.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Decordova
Among Census respondents with the surname Decordova, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 41.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Black (15.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Decordova 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 Decordova surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino41.7% · 110
- White37.9% · 100
- Black or African American15.5% · 41
- Two or more races2.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Decordova
Decordova 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
#69,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 281
-9 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,607 places
2020
#78,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
-17 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 8,352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #64,186 | 290 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,793 | 281 | 0.10 | -9 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 5,607 places |
| 2020 | #78,145 | 264 | 0.09 | -17 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 8,352 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 Decordova 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 | #69,793 | #78,145 | -12.0% |
| Count | 281 | 264 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Decordova bearers went from 281 to 264 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 8,352 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,793 to #78,145.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Decordova
FAQ
Decordova surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Decordova?
Name Census estimates that about 303 living Americans carry the surname Decordova. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,131,202 residents.
How common is Decordova?
Decordova ranks #78,145 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 264 people with the surname Decordova. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Decordova.
Has Decordova become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Decordova went from 281 recorded bearers to 264. That is a decrease of 17 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #69,793 to #78,145.
What does the Census say about the background of Decordova?
Among Census respondents with the surname Decordova, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 41.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Black (15.5%). 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 Decordova in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Decordova appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (41.7%), White (37.9%), Black (15.5%). 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 Decordova (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 Decordova mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Cordova, Spain. 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 Decordova (0.09 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 Decordova?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Decordova, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.