Find out how popular the last name Espejo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Espejo.

Espejo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Espejo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Espejo in America

Espejo is the 11388th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Espejo surname appeared 2,769 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Espejo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Espejo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Espejo

The surname Espejo is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "espejo" meaning "mirror." It emerged in Spain during the medieval period, likely referring to someone who either made or sold mirrors.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Espejo can be traced back to the 13th century in regions of central Spain, such as Castile and Aragon. It is believed that the name originated as an occupational surname, given to individuals involved in the craft of mirror-making or mirror-selling.

In the 15th century, records show the presence of the Espejo family in the city of Seville, where they held prominent positions as merchants and artisans. One notable figure from this period was Juan de Espejo (c. 1450-1520), a renowned silversmith and mirror craftsman who supplied his wares to the Spanish royal court.

As the Spanish empire expanded, the surname Espejo spread to the Americas during the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1582, Antonio de Espejo (c. 1540-1585) led an expedition into present-day New Mexico and is considered one of the earliest European explorers of the American Southwest.

Another significant figure was Alonso de Espejo (1572-1638), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who accompanied Juan de Oñate's expedition to New Mexico in 1598. He later became the governor of the province of New Mexico from 1608 to 1618.

In the realm of literature, Pedro Espejo Gaspar (1619-1678) was a Spanish playwright and poet from Madrid, renowned for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age theater.

Moving forward to the 19th century, José Espejo y Arteaga (1833-1898) was a notable Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who served as the President of Ecuador from 1868 to 1869.

Throughout history, the surname Espejo has been present in various regions of Spain, Latin America, and beyond, reflecting the widespread influence of Spanish culture and language. While its origins lie in a humble occupation, the name has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including explorers, artisans, writers, and political figures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Espejo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Espejo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Espejo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Espejo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Espejo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Espejo, please contact us.

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