2000
#2,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.66
Uncommon Last name
Escamilla
A Castilian toponymic surname derived from Escamilla, a town in the province of Guadalajara, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,656 Americans carry the last name Escamilla. That puts it at #1,770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,129 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Escamilla 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
23K
1 in 15,129
Census rank
#1,770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,757 bearers of the surname Escamilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Escamilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Escamilla
The surname Escamilla has its origins in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "escamilla," which means "small fish scale." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with fish or had some association with the fishing industry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Escamilla date back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, located in central Spain. It is believed that the name may have originated in the town of Escamilla, which is located in the province of Guadalajara.
One of the earliest known references to the name Escamilla can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a manuscript dating back to the 14th century that recorded the names of landowners and their properties in various regions of Spain.
In the 16th century, the name Escamilla appeared in several historical documents related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One notable figure was Juan de Escamilla, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
Another prominent individual with the surname Escamilla was Diego de Escamilla, a Spanish soldier and explorer who was part of the expedition led by Hernando de Soto to explore and colonize parts of present-day Florida, Georgia, and Alabama in the 1540s.
During the 17th century, the name Escamilla was found in various records and manuscripts related to the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have been involved in or affected by the religious persecution that took place during that period.
In the 18th century, José María Escamilla was a Mexican painter and engraver known for his religious artworks and portraits. He was born in Mexico City in 1737 and died in the same city in 1810.
In the 19th century, Manuel Escamilla was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. He was born in Guanajuato in 1791 and died in 1858.
Throughout history, the surname Escamilla has been present in various parts of Spain, Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking regions, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences of these areas over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Escamilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Escamilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Escamilla 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 Escamilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 18,425
- White5.6% · 1,110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 66
- Black or African American0.3% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 50
- Two or more races0.2% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Escamilla
Escamilla 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
#1,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,958
+5,680 bearers (+37.2%)
Per 100,000 7.10
Rank movement Up 468 places
2020
#1,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,757
-1,201 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 6.61
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,183 | 15,278 | 5.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,715 | 20,958 | 7.10 | +5,680 bearers (+37.2%) | Up 468 places |
| 2020 | #1,770 | 19,757 | 6.61 | -1,201 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 55 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 Escamilla 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 | #1,715 | #1,770 | -3.2% |
| Count | 20,958 | 19,757 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.10 | 6.61 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Escamilla bearers went from 20,958 to 19,757 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,715 to #1,770.
FAQ
Escamilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Escamilla?
Name Census estimates that about 22,656 living Americans carry the surname Escamilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,129 residents.
How common is Escamilla?
Escamilla ranks #1,770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,757 people with the surname Escamilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Escamilla.
Has Escamilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Escamilla went from 20,958 recorded bearers to 19,757. That is a decrease of 1,201 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,715 to #1,770.
What does the Census say about the background of Escamilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Escamilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Escamilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (18,425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Escamilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Escamilla (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 Escamilla mean?
A Castilian toponymic surname derived from Escamilla, a town in the province of Guadalajara, 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 Escamilla (6.61 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 Escamilla?
Want to know how many people have the surname Escamilla? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.