2000
#7,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Ignacio
Derived from the Roman name Egnatius, likely of Etruscan origin, adopted as a Spanish surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,524 Americans carry the last name Ignacio. That puts it at #5,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ignacio 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
7.5K
1 in 45,555
Census rank
#5,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,561 bearers of the surname Ignacio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ignacio, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.0%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ignacio
The surname Ignacio originated in Spain, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It derives from the Spanish given name Ignacio, which itself is a Spanish form of the Latin name Ignatius, meaning "fiery one." The name likely referred to someone with a passionate or ardent personality.
Ignacio is a relatively uncommon surname, but it can be found in historical records and documents from various regions of Spain, particularly in areas such as Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia. One of the earliest documented references to the surname dates back to the 15th century, when a certain Rodrigo Ignacio was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Zaragoza in Aragon.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Ignacio has been associated with several notable figures. In the 16th century, Pedro Ignacio de Ribera (1500-1566) was a Spanish soldier and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. Another prominent bearer of the name was Miguel Ignacio de Olivares (1639-1706), a Spanish nobleman and military officer who served as the viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1701 to 1703.
The 18th century saw the birth of Ignacio María del Corral (1761-1837), a Spanish writer and journalist who founded one of the earliest newspapers in Spain, El Censor. In the field of art, Ignacio Zuloaga (1870-1945) was a renowned Spanish painter known for his depictions of traditional Spanish scenes and portraits.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Ignacio was Ignacio Allende (1769-1811), a prominent figure in the Mexican War of Independence. Allende, a military officer, joined forces with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and played a crucial role in the early stages of the Mexican independence movement before being captured and executed by Spanish authorities.
While the surname Ignacio is not as widespread as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from literature and art to military and political affairs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ignacio
Among Census respondents with the surname Ignacio, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.0%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ignacio 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 Ignacio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander59.3% · 3,890
- Hispanic or Latino26.0% · 1,706
- White6.3% · 416
- Two or more races4.6% · 299
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 203
- Black or African American0.7% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ignacio
Ignacio 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
#5,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,219
+1,814 bearers (+41.2%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 1,423 places
2020
#5,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,561
+342 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Up 442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,017 | 4,405 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,594 | 6,219 | 2.11 | +1,814 bearers (+41.2%) | Up 1,423 places |
| 2020 | #5,152 | 6,561 | 2.20 | +342 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 442 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 Ignacio 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 | #5,594 | #5,152 | 7.9% |
| Count | 6,219 | 6,561 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 2.20 | 4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ignacio bearers went from 6,219 to 6,561 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 442 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,594 to #5,152.
FAQ
Ignacio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ignacio?
Name Census estimates that about 7,524 living Americans carry the surname Ignacio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,555 residents.
How common is Ignacio?
Ignacio ranks #5,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 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 6,561 people with the surname Ignacio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 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 Ignacio.
Has Ignacio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ignacio went from 6,219 recorded bearers to 6,561. That is an increase of 342 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,594 to #5,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Ignacio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ignacio, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.0%) and White (6.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ignacio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (3,890 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ignacio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (59.3%), Hispanic (26.0%), White (6.3%). 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 Ignacio (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 Ignacio mean?
Derived from the Roman name Egnatius, likely of Etruscan origin, adopted as a Spanish surname. 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 Ignacio (2.20 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 Ignacio?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.