2000
#63,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Honesto
An Italian surname derived from the word "onesto", meaning upright or honorable.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 368 Americans carry the last name Honesto. That puts it at #66,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 931,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Honesto 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
368
1 in 931,398
Census rank
#66,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
321
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 321 bearers of the surname Honesto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Honesto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Honesto
The surname Honesto is of Spanish origin, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "honesto," which means "honest" or "honorable." The name is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile and Aragon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Honesto can be found in the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like document compiled in Spain during the 18th century. The document mentions several individuals with the surname Honesto, including Juan Honesto, a farmer from the village of Villarluengo in Aragon, who lived in the mid-1700s.
The name Honesto has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Pedro Honesto, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Pedro Honesto played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Juana Honesto, a Spanish noblewoman who lived in the 16th century. Juana Honesto was known for her philanthropy and her support of the arts and literature. She was a patron of several prominent writers and artists of her time.
In the 17th century, there was a famous Spanish playwright named Francisco Honesto, who was born in Madrid in 1622 and died in 1695. Francisco Honesto wrote numerous plays and comedies, many of which were performed in the royal court of Spain.
Moving to the 19th century, there was a Spanish politician named Manuel Honesto, who served as a member of the Spanish parliament during the reign of Queen Isabella II. Manuel Honesto was born in 1812 in Seville and was known for his progressive political views and his advocacy for social reforms.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Honesto throughout history. The name has maintained its connection to the concepts of honesty, integrity, and honor, reflecting the values and ideals that have been associated with it since its origins in medieval Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Honesto
Among Census respondents with the surname Honesto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Honesto 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 Honesto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.4% · 274
- White12.8% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Honesto
Honesto 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
#61,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324
+30 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 1,551 places
2020
#66,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
-3 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63,450 | 294 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,899 | 324 | 0.11 | +30 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 1,551 places |
| 2020 | #66,499 | 321 | 0.11 | -3 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 4,600 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 Honesto 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 | #61,899 | #66,499 | -7.4% |
| Count | 324 | 321 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Honesto bearers went from 324 to 321 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 4,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,899 to #66,499.
FAQ
Honesto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Honesto?
Name Census estimates that about 368 living Americans carry the surname Honesto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 931,398 residents.
How common is Honesto?
Honesto ranks #66,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 321 people with the surname Honesto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Honesto.
Has Honesto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Honesto went from 324 recorded bearers to 321. That is a decrease of 3 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #61,899 to #66,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Honesto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Honesto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%). 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 Honesto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (274 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Honesto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.4%), White (12.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%). 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 Honesto (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 Honesto mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "onesto", meaning upright or honorable. 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 Honesto (0.11 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 Honesto?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.