2000
#14,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,849
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Espejo
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold mirrors.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,469 Americans carry the last name Espejo. That puts it at #10,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espejo 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
3.5K
1 in 98,805
Census rank
#10,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,025 bearers of the surname Espejo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.5%) and White (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espejo
Among Census respondents with the surname Espejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.5%) and White (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Espejo 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 Espejo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.9% · 2,084
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.5% · 712
- White4.7% · 143
- Two or more races2.1% · 63
- Black or African American0.8% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espejo
Espejo 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
#11,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,769
+920 bearers (+49.8%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 3,343 places
2020
#10,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,025
+256 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 1,235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,731 | 1,849 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,388 | 2,769 | 0.94 | +920 bearers (+49.8%) | Up 3,343 places |
| 2020 | #10,153 | 3,025 | 1.01 | +256 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 1,235 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 Espejo 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 | #11,388 | #10,153 | 10.8% |
| Count | 2,769 | 3,025 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 1.01 | 7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espejo bearers went from 2,769 to 3,025 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 1,235 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,388 to #10,153.
FAQ
Espejo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espejo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,469 living Americans carry the surname Espejo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,805 residents.
How common is Espejo?
Espejo ranks #10,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,025 people with the surname Espejo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Espejo.
Has Espejo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espejo went from 2,769 recorded bearers to 3,025. That is an increase of 256 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,388 to #10,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Espejo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espejo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.5%) and White (4.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Espejo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (2,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espejo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (23.5%), White (4.7%). 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 Espejo (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 Espejo mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold mirrors. 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 Espejo (1.01 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 Americans have the surname Espejo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.