2000
#3,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.90
Uncommon Last name
Fajardo
A toponymic surname referring to someone from Fajardo, a municipality in Puerto Rico, or from a place with beech trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,153 Americans carry the last name Fajardo. That puts it at #2,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fajardo 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 Fajardo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,881
Census rank
#2,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,830 bearers of the surname Fajardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fajardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%) and White (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fajardo
The surname Fajardo originated in Spain and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "fajado," which means "tied" or "bundled," referring to the traditional way farmers carried their crops.
The name is thought to have first appeared in the region of Murcia, located in southeastern Spain. Murcia was a significant agricultural area during the Middle Ages, and the Fajardo family likely played a role in the local farming community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fajardo name can be found in a document from the year 1148, which mentions a landowner named Pedro Fajardo in the town of Cartagena, located in the Murcia region.
In the 13th century, the Fajardo family gained prominence when Alonso Fajardo (1230-1298) became a notable military leader and played a crucial role in the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
Throughout the following centuries, the Fajardo name appeared in various historical records, including the Chronicles of the Catholic Monarchs, which documented the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in the late 15th century. The Fajardo family was mentioned as a noble lineage with significant influence in the region of Murcia.
One of the most renowned figures bearing the Fajardo surname was Juan Fajardo (1462-1526), who served as the Governor of the Canary Islands during the early years of Spanish colonization. He played a crucial role in the conquest and settlement of the archipelago.
Another notable individual was Pedro Fajardo Chacón (1524-1594), a Spanish military commander who participated in several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean. He was known for his bravery and strategic skills during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
In the 17th century, Alonso Fernández de Fajardo (1590-1667) was a prominent Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Viceroy of Aragon and the Governor of Milan during the reign of King Philip IV.
The Fajardo surname has also been associated with several places in Spain, including the municipality of Fajardo in the Canary Islands and the Fajardo Castle, a medieval fortress located in the city of Lorca, Murcia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fajardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Fajardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%) and White (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fajardo 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 Fajardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.1% · 12,522
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.1% · 2,226
- White4.9% · 768
- Two or more races1.3% · 198
- Black or African American0.5% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fajardo
Fajardo 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
#2,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,100
+4,570 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 5.12
Rank movement Up 737 places
2020
#2,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,830
+730 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 5.30
Rank movement Up 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,139 | 10,530 | 3.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,402 | 15,100 | 5.12 | +4,570 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 737 places |
| 2020 | #2,236 | 15,830 | 5.30 | +730 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 166 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 Fajardo 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 | #2,402 | #2,236 | 6.9% |
| Count | 15,100 | 15,830 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.12 | 5.30 | 3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fajardo bearers went from 15,100 to 15,830 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,402 to #2,236.
FAQ
Fajardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fajardo?
Name Census estimates that about 18,153 living Americans carry the surname Fajardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,881 residents.
How common is Fajardo?
Fajardo ranks #2,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,830 people with the surname Fajardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Fajardo.
Has Fajardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fajardo went from 15,100 recorded bearers to 15,830. That is an increase of 730 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,402 to #2,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Fajardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fajardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%) and White (4.9%). 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 Fajardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (12,522 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fajardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.1%), White (4.9%). 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 Fajardo (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 Fajardo mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone from Fajardo, a municipality in Puerto Rico, or from a place with beech trees. 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 Fajardo (5.30 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 Fajardo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Fajardo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.