Expósito last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Expósito is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Expósito.

Meaning of Expósito

A surname referring to an abandoned or abandoned child.

Expósito, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Expósito surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Expósito in America

Expósito is the 29502nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Expósito surname appeared 800 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Expósito.

We can also compare 2010 data for Expósito to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 29502 41262 -33.24%
Count 800 498 46.53%
Proportion per 100k 0.27 0.18 40.00%

The history of the last name Expósito

The surname EXPOSITO originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "expositus," which means "exposed" or "abandoned." This name was typically given to children who were abandoned or left at the doorsteps of churches or monasteries.

In the early days of Christianity in Spain, it was a common practice for poor families to leave their newborn children at the doors of religious institutions, where they would be cared for and raised by the clergy. These children were known as "expositos," and many of them eventually adopted this term as their surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name EXPOSITO can be found in the archives of the Cathedral of Seville, where a document from the 13th century mentions a certain "Juan Exposito" who was a member of the cathedral's clergy.

Another notable figure with this surname was Diego Exposito, a Spanish conquistador who was born in the late 15th century and participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.

In the 16th century, a prominent family with the surname EXPOSITO lived in the city of Granada, where they were known for their involvement in local politics and trade. One of their descendants, Pedro Exposito (1564-1628), was a respected scholar and author who wrote several treatises on theology and philosophy.

During the 17th century, a notable EXPOSITO was María Exposito (1620-1692), a mystic and religious writer from Seville. Her work "La Vida Espiritual" was widely read and influential in her time.

Another prominent figure with this surname was José Exposito (1742-1812), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of general. He is remembered for his bravery and strategic skills on the battlefield.

Throughout its history, the surname EXPOSITO has been associated with a wide range of professions and social classes, from clergy and scholars to soldiers and tradesmen. Despite its humble origins, it has become a respected and enduring name in Spanish society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Expósito

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Expósito.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Expósito was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 20.38% 163
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.63% 5
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 78.13% 625

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Expósito has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 20.38% 25.10% -20.76%
Black 0.63% 0.00% 200.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 78.13% 73.90% 5.56%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Expósito was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Expósito, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Expósito last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/exposito-surname-popularity/.

"Expósito last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/exposito-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 December, 2024

Expósito last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/exposito-surname-popularity/.

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