2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Espichan
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "person who makes or sells spikes or nails."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Espichan. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espichan 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Espichan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espichan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Espichan
The surname ESPICHAN has its origins in the region of Brittany, located in the northwest of France. This name can be traced back to the early 12th century, and it is believed to have derived from the ancient Breton words "espec" and "chan," which together translate to "little hawk" or "little falcon."
The earliest known record of the ESPICHAN name appears in the Cartulaire de Redon, a medieval collection of charters and deeds from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany, dating back to around 1120. In this document, a certain "Judicael Espichan" is mentioned as a landowner in the parish of Plougastel.
In the 13th century, the ESPICHAN name was also found in the Rolls of Arms, a collection of heraldic rolls and records maintained by the English College of Arms. One entry from 1275 mentions a "Guillaume Espichan" from the town of Guingamp in Brittany.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the ESPICHAN family likely held a modest noble status, as the name was occasionally associated with minor manors and estates in the Breton countryside. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Yves ESPICHAN (c. 1350 - 1412), a knight from the town of Lannion who fought in the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War.
2. Marguerite ESPICHAN (c. 1490 - 1558), a noblewoman from the Côtes-d'Armor region who was known for her patronage of local artists and artisans.
3. Jean ESPICHAN (c. 1560 - 1621), a poet and writer from Rennes who published several works in the Breton language.
4. Alain ESPICHAN (1645 - 1702), a merchant and explorer from Saint-Malo who traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean and established trade routes with the French colonies.
5. Marie-Françoise ESPICHAN (1720 - 1798), a renowned lacemaker from the town of Quimper whose intricate works were highly sought after by the French aristocracy.
Over time, the ESPICHAN name spread beyond its Breton origins, with some variations in spelling emerging, such as Espichan, Espichant, or Espichand. However, the core meaning and pronunciation of the name remained largely unchanged, preserving its connection to the ancient Breton language and the symbolism of the small falcon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espichan
Among Census respondents with the surname Espichan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Espichan 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 Espichan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino99.0% · 102
- White1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espichan
Espichan 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,554 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 Espichan 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 | #152,628 | #154,182 | -1.0% |
| Count | 107 | 103 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espichan bearers went from 107 to 103 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,182.
FAQ
Espichan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espichan?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Espichan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Espichan?
Espichan ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Espichan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Espichan.
Has Espichan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espichan went from 107 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Espichan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espichan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.0%). 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 Espichan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espichan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (99.0%), White (1.0%). 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 Espichan (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 Espichan mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "person who makes or sells spikes or nails." 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 Espichan (0.03 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 are called Espichan?
Find out how many people are called Espichan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.