2000
#1,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.08
Uncommon Last name
Enriquez
Derived from the personal name Enrique, meaning "estate ruler" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,924 Americans carry the last name Enriquez. That puts it at #844 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Enriquez 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Enriquez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
46K
1 in 7,464
Census rank
#844
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
40K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,048 bearers of the surname Enriquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 844th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Enriquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%) and White (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Enriquez
The surname Enriquez has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish given name Enrique, which is the Spanish form of the Germanic name Heinrich, meaning "ruler of the home" or "lord of the household."
The Enriquez surname first appeared in the regions of Castile and Aragon during the 12th and 13th centuries. It is believed to have been adopted by individuals who were either descendants of or followers of Spanish monarchs or noblemen bearing the name Enrique.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Enriquez surname can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Enriquez, indicating their presence in the Spanish nobility at that time.
In the 15th century, the Enriquez family gained prominence with Fadrique Enriquez, who served as the Grand Admiral of Castile under King Fernando II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. His son, Fadrique Enriquez de Cabrera, became the Duke of Medina de Rioseco and played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
Another notable figure with the Enriquez surname was Juana Enriquez, the mistress of King Fernando II of Aragon. She gave birth to their son, Alonso de Aragón y Enriquez, who became the Archbishop of Zaragoza and a prominent figure in the Spanish court.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Enriquez surname spread throughout the Spanish territories, including the Americas. One of the most famous individuals bearing this name was Pedro Enriquez de Acevedo, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
In the realm of literature, the Spanish poet and playwright Lope de Vega created a character named Enriquez in his play "Fuenteovejuna," which depicts a historical event in 15th-century Spain.
As the Enriquez surname continued to spread, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Henriquez, Henríquez, and Enríquez, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Enriquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Enriquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%) and White (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Enriquez 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 Enriquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.3% · 33,741
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.0% · 3,607
- White4.9% · 1,972
- Two or more races0.8% · 321
- Black or African American0.6% · 240
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 167
Timeline
Historical Census data for Enriquez
Enriquez 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
#837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,271
+11,385 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 13.99
Rank movement Up 235 places
2020
#844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,048
-1,223 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 13.40
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,072 | 29,886 | 11.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #837 | 41,271 | 13.99 | +11,385 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 235 places |
| 2020 | #844 | 40,048 | 13.40 | -1,223 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 7 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 Enriquez 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 | #837 | #844 | -0.8% |
| Count | 41,271 | 40,048 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 13.99 | 13.40 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Enriquez bearers went from 41,271 to 40,048 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #837 to #844.
FAQ
Enriquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Enriquez?
Name Census estimates that about 45,924 living Americans carry the surname Enriquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,464 residents.
How common is Enriquez?
Enriquez ranks #844 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,048 people with the surname Enriquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Enriquez.
Has Enriquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Enriquez went from 41,271 recorded bearers to 40,048. That is a decrease of 1,223 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #837 to #844.
What does the Census say about the background of Enriquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Enriquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%) and White (4.9%). 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 Enriquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (33,741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Enriquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.0%), White (4.9%). 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 Enriquez (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 Enriquez mean?
Derived from the personal name Enrique, meaning "estate ruler" in Spanish. 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 Enriquez (13.40 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 have the last name Enriquez?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Enriquez at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.