2000
#7,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,864
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Diego
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Diego, which itself comes from the Latin Didacus, meaning "teaching."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,175 Americans carry the last name Diego. That puts it at #5,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diego 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
7.2K
1 in 47,771
Census rank
#5,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,257 bearers of the surname Diego in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and White (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diego
The surname Diego is of Spanish origin, derived from the given name Diego, which is the Spanish form of the Latin name Didacus. The name Diego is believed to have its roots in the Greek name Didacus, which means "a native of Didyma," a town in ancient Greece near Miletus.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Diego can be traced back to the 12th century in Spain. During this time, the practice of adopting surnames was becoming more common, with many individuals taking their surnames from their given names or those of their ancestors.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Diego was Diego Rodríguez de Arana, a Spanish military leader who lived in the 13th century and played a significant role in the Reconquista, the medieval campaign to retake the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
In the 14th century, the surname Diego was documented in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which detailed hunting grounds and practices in medieval Spain.
Another notable bearer of the surname Diego was Diego de Siloé (c. 1490-1563), a renowned Spanish Renaissance architect and sculptor who designed several notable buildings, including the Granada Cathedral and the Monastery of San Jerónimo in Granada.
During the Age of Exploration, the surname Diego was carried across the Atlantic by Spanish explorers and conquistadors. One such individual was Diego de Almagro (c. 1475-1538), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru and co-founded the city of Cusco.
In the realm of art, Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) was a celebrated Spanish painter who served as the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain. His masterpieces, such as "Las Meninas" and "The Surrender of Breda," are renowned for their technical brilliance and innovative compositions.
Another notable bearer of the surname Diego was Diego Rivera (1886-1957), a Mexican painter and muralist who played a crucial role in the Mexican Mural Renaissance. His vibrant and monumental murals, often depicting scenes from Mexican history and culture, can be found in various public buildings across Mexico and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diego
Among Census respondents with the surname Diego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and White (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Diego 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 Diego surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.0% · 4,941
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 553
- White7.3% · 454
- Black or African American3.0% · 190
- Two or more races1.5% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Diego
Diego 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
#5,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,141
+2,277 bearers (+58.9%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 2,290 places
2020
#5,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,257
+116 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Up 271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,941 | 3,864 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,651 | 6,141 | 2.08 | +2,277 bearers (+58.9%) | Up 2,290 places |
| 2020 | #5,380 | 6,257 | 2.09 | +116 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 271 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 Diego 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 | #5,651 | #5,380 | 4.8% |
| Count | 6,141 | 6,257 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 2.09 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Diego bearers went from 6,141 to 6,257 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 271 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,651 to #5,380.
FAQ
Diego surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Diego?
Name Census estimates that about 7,175 living Americans carry the surname Diego. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,771 residents.
How common is Diego?
Diego ranks #5,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,257 people with the surname Diego. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Diego.
Has Diego become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Diego went from 6,141 recorded bearers to 6,257. That is an increase of 116 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,651 to #5,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Diego?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and White (7.3%). 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 Diego in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (4,941 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Diego appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%), White (7.3%). 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 Diego (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 Diego mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Diego, which itself comes from the Latin Didacus, meaning "teaching." 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 Diego (2.09 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 share the surname Diego?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.