2000
#1,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.66
Uncommon Last name
Francisco
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an individual hailing from France or of French origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,226 Americans carry the last name Francisco. That puts it at #1,409 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Francisco 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 Francisco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,143
Census rank
#1,409
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,614 bearers of the surname Francisco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1409th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Francisco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 43.2%. The next largest groups are White (26.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Francisco
The surname Francisco originated in Italy and Spain, derived from the Italian and Spanish given name Francesco, which is itself derived from the Latin name Franciscus. The name Franciscus is believed to have its roots in the Latin phrase "Francus," meaning "free" or "Frenchman."
Francisco is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding a suffix to the given name Francesco, indicating "son of Francesco." This practice of forming surnames from the father's given name was common in many European cultures during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Francisco can be found in the 13th century in the Libro del Repartimiento, a document detailing the distribution of land and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia, Spain, after its reconquest from the Moors in 1238.
In the 14th century, the surname Francisco appeared in various Italian records, such as the Codice Diplomatico Padovano, a collection of documents from the city of Padua. Additionally, the name was mentioned in the Catasto Fiorentino, a census of the city of Florence, conducted in the early 15th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Francisco throughout history include:
1. Friar Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483-1546), a Spanish Renaissance philosopher and theologian, considered one of the founders of international law.
2. Francisco Pizarro (c. 1476-1541), a Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Inca Empire and the conquest of modern-day Peru.
3. Francisco Goya (1746-1828), a renowned Spanish romantic painter and printmaker, regarded as one of the greatest artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
4. Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645), a Spanish poet, satirist, and playwright, considered one of the most prominent figures in the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
5. Francisco de Orellana (c. 1511-1546), a Spanish explorer and conquistador, known for leading the first European expedition to navigate the entire length of the Amazon River.
The surname Francisco has been associated with various place names and older spellings throughout its history, such as Franceschi, Franceschi, and Franceschi, which were common in Italy, and Francés, Francés, and Francés, which were prevalent in Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Francisco
Among Census respondents with the surname Francisco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 43.2%. The next largest groups are White (26.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Francisco 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 Francisco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino43.2% · 10,623
- White26.4% · 6,510
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.2% · 4,967
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 932
- Black or African American3.6% · 884
- Two or more races2.8% · 698
Timeline
Historical Census data for Francisco
Francisco 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
#1,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,095
+6,119 bearers (+34.0%)
Per 100,000 8.17
Rank movement Up 352 places
2020
#1,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,614
+519 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 8.23
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,833 | 17,976 | 6.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,481 | 24,095 | 8.17 | +6,119 bearers (+34.0%) | Up 352 places |
| 2020 | #1,409 | 24,614 | 8.23 | +519 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 72 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 Francisco 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 | #1,481 | #1,409 | 4.9% |
| Count | 24,095 | 24,614 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.17 | 8.23 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Francisco bearers went from 24,095 to 24,614 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,481 to #1,409.
FAQ
Francisco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Francisco?
Name Census estimates that about 28,226 living Americans carry the surname Francisco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,143 residents.
How common is Francisco?
Francisco ranks #1,409 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,614 people with the surname Francisco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Francisco.
Has Francisco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Francisco went from 24,095 recorded bearers to 24,614. That is an increase of 519 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,481 to #1,409.
What does the Census say about the background of Francisco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Francisco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 43.2%. The next largest groups are White (26.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.2%). 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 Francisco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.2% (10,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Francisco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (43.2%), White (26.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.2%). 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 Francisco (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 Francisco mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an individual hailing from France or of French origin. 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 Francisco (8.23 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 Americans have the surname Francisco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.