2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Espadron
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the word "espadaña" meaning "reed" or "cattail".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Espadron. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espadron 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Espadron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espadron, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Espadron
The surname Espadron is of Spanish origin, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the region of Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where it was likely derived from the Galician word "espadrón," which referred to a type of sedge grass or reed commonly found in marshy areas.
In the early medieval era, many surnames were derived from occupations, geographical locations, or descriptive nicknames. The name Espadron may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived in areas abundant with espadrón reeds or those who worked with these reeds, possibly as weavers or basket makers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Espadron can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Monastery of San Martín Pinario in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. This document mentions a certain "Pedro Espadron," who was likely a landowner or a prominent figure in the region at that time.
During the 15th century, the Espadron surname began to spread beyond Galicia, as people migrated to other parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Juan Espadron (c. 1480 - 1550), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Juan Ponce de León on his expeditions to Florida and the Bahamas.
2. Alonso Espadron (c. 1520 - 1595), a Spanish soldier and administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1585 to 1590.
3. Beatriz Espadron (c. 1570 - 1640), a renowned poet and writer from Seville, Spain, who was celebrated for her works in the Spanish Golden Age.
4. Francisco Espadron (c. 1630 - 1695), a Spanish architect and engineer who designed several notable churches and public buildings in Mexico City during the colonial era.
5. Margarita Espadron (c. 1750 - 1820), a philanthropist and landowner from Cadiz, Spain, known for her charitable contributions to orphanages and hospitals in the region.
The name Espadron has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as the village of Espadron in the province of Lugo, Galicia, and the Espadron River in the same region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espadron
Among Census respondents with the surname Espadron, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Espadron 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 Espadron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espadron
Espadron appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 6,242 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 Espadron 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 | #154,907 | #148,665 | 4.0% |
| Count | 105 | 111 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espadron bearers went from 105 to 111 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 6,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #148,665.
FAQ
Espadron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espadron?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Espadron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Espadron?
Espadron ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Espadron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Espadron.
Has Espadron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espadron went from 105 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Espadron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espadron, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Espadron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espadron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Espadron (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 Espadron mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from the word "espadaña" meaning "reed" or "cattail". 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 Espadron (0.04 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 Espadron?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.