2000
#9,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Esteban
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Esteban, meaning "crown" or "wreath."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,269 Americans carry the last name Esteban. That puts it at #6,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esteban 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 Esteban with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,674
Census rank
#6,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,467 bearers of the surname Esteban in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esteban, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.6%) and White (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esteban
The surname Esteban has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is a Spanish form of the Greek name Stephanos, which means "crown" or "wreath." The name was likely brought to the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman occupation and later became popular among the Hispanic population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Esteban surname can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript detailing the hunting expeditions of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The text mentions a certain Pero Esteban, who was a prominent huntsman and landowner in the region of Extremadura.
In the 15th century, the Esteban family played a significant role in the conquest of the Canary Islands. Juan Esteban de Llerena, a nobleman from Seville, was appointed as the first governor of the island of La Palma in 1493 by the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
During the Age of Exploration, several individuals bearing the Esteban surname made notable contributions. One such figure was Andrés Esteban de Narvarte, a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in the expeditions of Álvaro de Mendaña to the Solomon Islands in the late 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Francisco Esteban Gómez was a prominent Spanish poet and playwright of the 17th century. He was born in Seville in 1577 and is best known for his works "Las Hazañas del Marqués de Cañete" (The Exploits of the Marquis of Cañete) and "El Rufián Dichoso" (The Fortunate Ruffian).
Another notable figure with the Esteban surname was José Esteban Muñoz, a Spanish military officer and politician who played a significant role in the Spanish American wars of independence. He served as the last Spanish governor of Chile from 1808 to 1810.
In more recent times, the Esteban surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life. One such person was Pablo Esteban Muñoz Vega, a Chilean architect and academic who was instrumental in the development of modern architecture in his country during the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esteban
Among Census respondents with the surname Esteban, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.6%) and White (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Esteban 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 Esteban surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino67.1% · 3,670
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.6% · 1,398
- White4.3% · 233
- Two or more races2.2% · 123
- Black or African American0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esteban
Esteban 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
#6,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,240
+2,148 bearers (+69.5%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 3,166 places
2020
#6,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,467
+227 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Up 442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,646 | 3,092 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,480 | 5,240 | 1.78 | +2,148 bearers (+69.5%) | Up 3,166 places |
| 2020 | #6,038 | 5,467 | 1.83 | +227 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 442 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 Esteban 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 | #6,480 | #6,038 | 6.8% |
| Count | 5,240 | 5,467 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.83 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esteban bearers went from 5,240 to 5,467 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 442 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,480 to #6,038.
FAQ
Esteban surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esteban?
Name Census estimates that about 6,269 living Americans carry the surname Esteban. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,674 residents.
How common is Esteban?
Esteban ranks #6,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,467 people with the surname Esteban. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Esteban.
Has Esteban become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esteban went from 5,240 recorded bearers to 5,467. That is an increase of 227 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,480 to #6,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Esteban?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esteban, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.6%) and White (4.3%). 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 Esteban in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.1% (3,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esteban appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (67.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.6%), White (4.3%). 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 Esteban (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 Esteban mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Esteban, meaning "crown" or "wreath." 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 Esteban (1.83 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 Esteban?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.