2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Espinoca
A surname of unclear origin, possibly derived from a Spanish place name or occupational term.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Espinoca. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espinoca 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Espinoca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espinoca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Espinoca
The surname ESPINOCA has its origins in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "espino," which means "hawthorn" or "thorny bush." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person living near or in an area with an abundance of hawthorn bushes.
During the Middle Ages, surnames often emerged from descriptions of a person's physical characteristics, occupation, or place of residence. In the case of ESPINOCA, it is likely that the name originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who resided near a thorny bush or hawthorn thicket.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ESPINOCA can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a certain Juan ESPINOCA was mentioned in a document from 1492. Another early mention of the name appears in a 16th-century military record, which listed a soldier named Diego ESPINOCA among the Spanish forces.
In the 17th century, the ESPINOCA family appeared to have spread across various regions of Spain, with records indicating their presence in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. A notable bearer of the name during this time was Alonso ESPINOCA, a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Cadiz, born in 1628 and died in 1701.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the ESPINOCA surname also found its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was that of Pedro ESPINOCA, a Spanish settler who arrived in Mexico in the late 16th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the ESPINOCA surname was María ESPINOCA, a celebrated poet and writer born in Seville in 1802. Her works, which celebrated Spanish culture and traditions, earned her widespread acclaim during her lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the ESPINOCA name was Javier ESPINOCA, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars of the 19th century. Born in 1815 in Madrid, he rose through the ranks and became known for his bravery and strategic prowess on the battlefield.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espinoca
Among Census respondents with the surname Espinoca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Espinoca 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 Espinoca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.9% · 93
- White2.1% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espinoca
Espinoca 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
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-22 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,400 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 15,400 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 Espinoca 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 | #141,140 | #156,540 | -10.9% |
| Count | 118 | 96 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espinoca bearers went from 118 to 96 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 15,400 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #156,540.
FAQ
Espinoca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espinoca?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Espinoca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Espinoca?
Espinoca ranks #156,540 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 96 people with the surname Espinoca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), 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 Espinoca.
Has Espinoca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espinoca went from 118 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 22 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Espinoca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espinoca, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (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 Espinoca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espinoca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.9%), White (2.1%), Black (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 Espinoca (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 Espinoca mean?
A surname of unclear origin, possibly derived from a Spanish place name or occupational term. 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 Espinoca (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 have the surname Espinoca?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.