2000
#6,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Delao
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Ao, referring to someone from Ao or a descendant of such.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,368 Americans carry the last name Delao. That puts it at #10,439 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delao 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
3.4K
1 in 101,768
Census rank
#10,439
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,937 bearers of the surname Delao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10439th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delao, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delao
The surname DELAO has its origins rooted in the Spanish language and culture. It is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Castile and Aragon, during the medieval period.
The name DELAO is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "delao," which means "on the side" or "lateral." This term may have been used to refer to someone who lived on the outskirts or sides of a town or village, or it could have been a descriptive nickname for someone who had a distinctive physical characteristic, such as a crooked or sideways posture.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname DELAO can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, dating back to the 13th century. These records document a certain Pedro DELAO, who was a landowner and local official in the town of Calatayud. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence in the region by that time.
In the 14th century, there are references to a Juan DELAO, a respected scholar and theologian from the city of Valencia. He was known for his contributions to the study of canon law and his writings on ecclesiastical matters.
During the 15th century, the name DELAO appears in various records related to the Spanish Inquisition. One notable figure was Alonso DELAO, a merchant from Seville who was accused of harboring conversos (converted Jews) and was subsequently tried and imprisoned by the Inquisition in 1492.
As the Spanish Empire expanded its influence across the globe, the surname DELAO spread to the Americas and other territories. In the 16th century, a certain Catalina DELAO was among the early Spanish settlers in the territory of Nueva España (present-day Mexico). She is recorded as having been granted land in the region of Veracruz.
Another prominent figure bearing the DELAO surname was Miguel DELAO, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish-American War of 1898. He was born in 1862 in Madrid and played a crucial role in the defense of Santiago de Cuba against American forces.
Throughout history, the surname DELAO has maintained a presence in various parts of Spain, as well as in regions where Spanish colonization and migration took place, such as Latin America and the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delao
Among Census respondents with the surname Delao, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Delao 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 Delao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.1% · 2,558
- White9.9% · 292
- Black or African American0.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Two or more races0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delao
Delao 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
#5,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,515
+1,744 bearers (+36.6%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Up 1,207 places
2020
#10,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,937
-3,578 bearers (-54.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 5,096 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,550 | 4,771 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,343 | 6,515 | 2.21 | +1,744 bearers (+36.6%) | Up 1,207 places |
| 2020 | #10,439 | 2,937 | 0.98 | -3,578 bearers (-54.9%) | Down 5,096 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 Delao 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 | #5,343 | #10,439 | -95.4% |
| Count | 6,515 | 2,937 | -54.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.21 | 0.98 | -55.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delao bearers went from 6,515 to 2,937 (-54.9% change). The surname moved down 5,096 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,343 to #10,439.
FAQ
Delao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delao?
Name Census estimates that about 3,368 living Americans carry the surname Delao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,768 residents.
How common is Delao?
Delao ranks #10,439 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,937 people with the surname Delao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Delao.
Has Delao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delao went from 6,515 recorded bearers to 2,937. That is a decrease of 3,578 (-54.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,343 to #10,439.
What does the Census say about the background of Delao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delao, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Black (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 Delao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (2,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.1%), White (9.9%), Black (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 Delao (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 Delao mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Ao, referring to someone from Ao or a descendant of such. 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 Delao (0.98 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 Delao?
Find out how many people have the surname Delao on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.