2000
#8,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Feliz
A Spanish surname meaning "happy" or "fortunate," derived from the Latin word "felix."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,204 Americans carry the last name Feliz. That puts it at #5,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,578 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feliz 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
7.2K
1 in 47,578
Census rank
#5,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,282 bearers of the surname Feliz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feliz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feliz
The surname Feliz is of Portuguese origin, deriving from the word "feliz" which means "happy" or "joyful" in Portuguese. It likely originated in the late 12th or early 13th century during the formation of hereditary surnames in the region of modern-day Portugal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Feliz surname can be found in a document from the year 1256, which mentions a nobleman named Rodrigo Feliz who held lands near the city of Coimbra. This suggests the surname was already in use among the aristocratic classes by the mid-13th century.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese explorers and settlers carried the Feliz surname to various corners of the world as Portugal established its colonial empire. One notable figure was João Feliz, a Portuguese navigator born in 1490 who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage of circumnavigation in 1519-1522.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Feliz family settled in the Spanish territories of the Americas, where the spelling of the name was sometimes altered to the Spanish form "Feliz". One such individual was Pedro Feliz, a Spanish colonist born in 1625 who became a prominent landowner in the region of modern-day Mexico.
The Feliz surname also found its way to Brazil, where it remains a relatively common name today. One of the earliest recorded instances in Brazil was João Feliz da Silva, a Portuguese colonist born in 1678 who established a successful sugar plantation in the northeastern region of the country.
Another notable figure bearing the Feliz surname was Maria Feliz, a Portuguese woman born in 1745 who became a highly respected educator and pioneer in the field of female education in Portugal. She established one of the first schools for girls in Lisbon and was recognized for her efforts to promote literacy and learning among women.
Throughout its history, the Feliz surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, soldiers, and statesmen. While it originated in Portugal, it has since spread to many parts of the world, reflecting the global reach of Portuguese exploration and colonization in past centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feliz
Among Census respondents with the surname Feliz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Feliz 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 Feliz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 5,805
- White4.3% · 272
- Black or African American1.3% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 47
- Two or more races0.7% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feliz
Feliz 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
#6,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,261
+1,700 bearers (+47.7%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 2,067 places
2020
#5,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,282
+1,021 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Up 1,095 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,519 | 3,561 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,452 | 5,261 | 1.78 | +1,700 bearers (+47.7%) | Up 2,067 places |
| 2020 | #5,357 | 6,282 | 2.10 | +1,021 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 1,095 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 Feliz 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 | #6,452 | #5,357 | 17.0% |
| Count | 5,261 | 6,282 | 19.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 2.10 | 18.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feliz bearers went from 5,261 to 6,282 (+19.4% change). The surname moved up 1,095 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,452 to #5,357.
FAQ
Feliz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feliz?
Name Census estimates that about 7,204 living Americans carry the surname Feliz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,578 residents.
How common is Feliz?
Feliz ranks #5,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 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 6,282 people with the surname Feliz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 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 Feliz.
Has Feliz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feliz went from 5,261 recorded bearers to 6,282. That is an increase of 1,021 (+19.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,452 to #5,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Feliz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feliz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Feliz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,805 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feliz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.4%), White (4.3%), Black (1.3%). 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 Feliz (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 Feliz mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "happy" or "fortunate," derived from the Latin word "felix." 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 Feliz (2.10 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 Feliz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.