2000
#2,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.12
Uncommon Last name
Delgadillo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "delgado," meaning thin or slender, likely referring to a person's physical appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,333 Americans carry the last name Delgadillo. That puts it at #2,470 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delgadillo 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
16K
1 in 20,985
Census rank
#2,470
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,243 bearers of the surname Delgadillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2470th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delgadillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delgadillo
The surname Delgadillo has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Spanish word "delgado," which means thin or slender. It likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a slender physique.
One of the earliest records of the name Delgadillo can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), written by Alfonso XI, King of Castile and León. This document mentions a person named Juan Delgadillo, who was a huntsman in the king's service.
The Delgadillo name is closely associated with the region of Extremadura, located in western Spain. Many early bearers of the name hailed from towns and villages in this area, such as Delgadillo de Cáceres and Delgadillo de Badajoz.
In the 15th century, the Delgadillo family gained prominence in the province of Valladolid, where they owned several estates and held positions of influence. One notable member was Pedro Delgadillo, born in 1470, who served as a magistrate and councilor to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella.
The name Delgadillo also appears in records from the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In the 16th century, Francisco Delgadillo, a soldier and explorer, accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. He later settled in the city of Puebla, where his descendants became influential landowners.
During the colonial era in Latin America, several individuals with the Delgadillo surname made notable contributions. José Antonio Delgadillo y Velasco, born in 1720 in Guanajuato, Mexico, was a renowned architect who designed numerous churches and public buildings in his native city.
In the 19th century, Mariano Delgadillo, born in 1798 in Querétaro, Mexico, was a prominent educator and founder of one of the first public schools in the region. He played a significant role in promoting education and literacy among the local population.
Another figure of historical importance was María Delgadillo, born in 1835 in Caracas, Venezuela. She was a poet and writer who contributed to the literary movement of the Venezuelan Romantic era. Her works explored themes of love, nature, and national identity.
Throughout its history, the Delgadillo name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, explorers, artists, and intellectuals. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse and rich cultural heritage of the Spanish-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delgadillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Delgadillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Delgadillo 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 Delgadillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.4% · 13,583
- White3.9% · 551
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
- Two or more races0.2% · 28
- Black or African American0.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delgadillo
Delgadillo 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
#2,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,123
+4,016 bearers (+36.2%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Up 585 places
2020
#2,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,243
-880 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.77
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,984 | 11,107 | 4.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,399 | 15,123 | 5.13 | +4,016 bearers (+36.2%) | Up 585 places |
| 2020 | #2,470 | 14,243 | 4.77 | -880 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 71 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 Delgadillo 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 | #2,399 | #2,470 | -3.0% |
| Count | 15,123 | 14,243 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.13 | 4.77 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delgadillo bearers went from 15,123 to 14,243 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,399 to #2,470.
FAQ
Delgadillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delgadillo?
Name Census estimates that about 16,333 living Americans carry the surname Delgadillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,985 residents.
How common is Delgadillo?
Delgadillo ranks #2,470 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,243 people with the surname Delgadillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,333), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Delgadillo.
Has Delgadillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delgadillo went from 15,123 recorded bearers to 14,243. That is a decrease of 880 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,399 to #2,470.
What does the Census say about the background of Delgadillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delgadillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Delgadillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (13,583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delgadillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.4%), White (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Delgadillo (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 Delgadillo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "delgado," meaning thin or slender, likely referring to a person's physical appearance. 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 Delgadillo (4.77 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 Delgadillo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Delgadillo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.