2000
#1,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,538
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.32
Uncommon Last name
Espinosa
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone living near a thicket of thorn bushes or brambles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,006 Americans carry the last name Espinosa. That puts it at #894 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,789 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espinosa 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Espinosa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,789
Census rank
#894
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,375 bearers of the surname Espinosa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 894th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espinosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Espinosa
The surname Espinosa is of Spanish origin, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish words "espina" meaning "thorn" and "osa" meaning "bear." The name likely refers to someone who lived near a thorny area or a place with many brambles.
Espinosa is a locational surname, indicating that the original bearers of the name hailed from a place called Espinosa. There are several towns and villages in Spain called Espinosa, such as Espinosa de los Monteros in the province of Burgos and Espinosa de Henares in the province of Guadalajara.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Espinosa can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census of landowners and vassals in the Kingdom of Castile, dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Espinosa, suggesting that the name was already well-established by that time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Espinosa was Gaspar de Espinosa (1479-1537), a Spanish painter and sculptor who was active during the Renaissance period. His works can be found in various churches and museums in Spain, including the Cathedral of Seville.
In the 16th century, Diego de Espinosa (1512-1572) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro. He served as a lieutenant and was known for his bravery in battle.
Another prominent individual with the surname Espinosa was Jacinto de Espinosa (1590-1647), a Spanish playwright and poet who was part of the Spanish Golden Age of literature. His works include plays, poetry, and religious texts.
In the 19th century, Benigno Espinosa (1813-1888) was a Mexican politician and military officer who served as the interim President of Mexico for a brief period in 1879.
Lastly, José Espinosa y Tello (1878-1936) was a Spanish philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy. He founded the Instituto-Escuela, an experimental school in Madrid that served as a model for educational reform in Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espinosa
Among Census respondents with the surname Espinosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Espinosa 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 Espinosa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.5% · 33,209
- White7.9% · 3,037
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 1,601
- Black or African American0.5% · 205
- Two or more races0.5% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 125
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espinosa
Espinosa 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
#896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,667
+8,129 bearers (+26.6%)
Per 100,000 13.11
Rank movement Up 151 places
2020
#894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,375
-292 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 12.84
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,047 | 30,538 | 11.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #896 | 38,667 | 13.11 | +8,129 bearers (+26.6%) | Up 151 places |
| 2020 | #894 | 38,375 | 12.84 | -292 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 2 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 Espinosa 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 | #896 | #894 | 0.2% |
| Count | 38,667 | 38,375 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 13.11 | 12.84 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espinosa bearers went from 38,667 to 38,375 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #896 to #894.
FAQ
Espinosa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espinosa?
Name Census estimates that about 44,006 living Americans carry the surname Espinosa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,789 residents.
How common is Espinosa?
Espinosa ranks #894 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,375 people with the surname Espinosa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Espinosa.
Has Espinosa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espinosa went from 38,667 recorded bearers to 38,375. That is a decrease of 292 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #896 to #894.
What does the Census say about the background of Espinosa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espinosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Espinosa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (33,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espinosa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.5%), White (7.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Espinosa (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 Espinosa mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone living near a thicket of thorn bushes or brambles. 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 Espinosa (12.84 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 Espinosa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.