2000
#15,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Espindola
Derived from a place name referring to a thorny or prickly place, possibly one with hawthorn bushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,913 Americans carry the last name Espindola. That puts it at #11,793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espindola 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
2.9K
1 in 117,664
Census rank
#11,793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,540 bearers of the surname Espindola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espindola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Espindola
The surname Espindola has its origins in the Spanish language and can be traced back to the regions of Spain and Portugal. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "spinus," which means "thorn bush" or "bramble." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near or was associated with a place where thorny bushes or brambles grew abundantly.
The earliest known references to the name Espindola can be found in various historical records and documents from the Iberian Peninsula, including medieval charters, tax rolls, and property deeds. One notable example is the Becerro Galicano, a 14th-century census of landowners in the region of Galicia, where several individuals with the surname Espindola are mentioned.
In the 16th century, during the Age of Exploration, the name Espindola began to spread beyond the Iberian Peninsula as Spanish and Portuguese explorers, settlers, and colonists ventured to various parts of the world. Some well-known individuals bearing this surname from this period include Juan de Espindola, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Chile in the mid-16th century, and Pedro de Espindola, a Portuguese explorer who accompanied the expedition of Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil in 1500.
As the centuries passed, the name Espindola continued to be present in various historical records and documents. In the 17th century, Francisco de Espindola was a prominent Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War. In the 18th century, José de Espindola y Guzmán was a Spanish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history of Mexico.
Moving into the 19th century, one noteworthy individual with the surname Espindola was Antonio de Espindola, a Portuguese general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Another was Julián Espindola, an Argentine military leader and politician who played a significant role in the Argentine War of Independence.
Throughout its long history, the surname Espindola has undergone various spelling variations, such as Espinola, Espindola, and Espinola. These variations can be found in historical records and reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espindola
Among Census respondents with the surname Espindola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Espindola 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 Espindola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 2,276
- White8.4% · 214
- Two or more races0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espindola
Espindola 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
#11,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,704
+933 bearers (+52.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 3,642 places
2020
#11,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,540
-164 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,250 | 1,771 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,608 | 2,704 | 0.92 | +933 bearers (+52.7%) | Up 3,642 places |
| 2020 | #11,793 | 2,540 | 0.85 | -164 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 185 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 Espindola 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 | #11,608 | #11,793 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,704 | 2,540 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.85 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espindola bearers went from 2,704 to 2,540 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,608 to #11,793.
FAQ
Espindola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espindola?
Name Census estimates that about 2,913 living Americans carry the surname Espindola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,664 residents.
How common is Espindola?
Espindola ranks #11,793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,540 people with the surname Espindola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,913), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Espindola.
Has Espindola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espindola went from 2,704 recorded bearers to 2,540. That is a decrease of 164 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,608 to #11,793.
What does the Census say about the background of Espindola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espindola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Espindola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espindola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (8.4%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Espindola (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 Espindola mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a thorny or prickly place, possibly one with hawthorn bushes. 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 Espindola (0.85 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 have the last name Espindola?
See how many people have the surname Espindola on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.