2000
#7,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Jacinto
Derived from the Spanish word "jacinto," meaning hyacinth, referring to a purplish-blue gemstone or flowering plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,126 Americans carry the last name Jacinto. That puts it at #5,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jacinto 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
7.1K
1 in 48,099
Census rank
#5,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,214 bearers of the surname Jacinto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacinto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and White (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jacinto
The surname Jacinto has its origins in Spain and Portugal, where it is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese masculine given name Jacinto. This name ultimately traces its roots back to the Greek word 'hyakinthos,' which referred to the hyacinth flower.
The name was relatively common in medieval times, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jacinto appears in a document from the Archivo Historico Nacional in Madrid, dated 1278, which mentions a certain Pedro Jacinto.
In the 15th century, the name Jacinto appears in records from the town of Guadix, in the province of Granada, Spain. A document from 1487 mentions a Francisco Jacinto, a landowner in the area.
The surname Jacinto also has a long history in Portugal. In the 16th century, a notable individual bearing this name was Diogo Jacinto, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1498.
Another noteworthy figure was Jerónimo Jacinto de Espinosa (1600-1667), a Spanish painter who was active in Valencia and is known for his religious works and portraits.
In the 17th century, the Jacinto surname can be found in records from the town of Arcos de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. A baptismal record from 1632 mentions a child named Juan Jacinto.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Jacinto was Candido Maria Trevisan Jacinto (1718-1794), an Italian Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Milan from 1768 until his death.
Other notable individuals with the surname Jacinto include Manuel Jacinto da Silva (1799-1866), a Brazilian poet and journalist, and Jacinto Benavente (1866-1954), a Spanish playwright and Nobel laureate in literature.
While the surname Jacinto is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of Spain, Portugal, and other regions influenced by the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jacinto
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacinto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and White (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jacinto 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 Jacinto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.7% · 4,458
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.9% · 1,114
- White8.4% · 519
- Two or more races1.4% · 88
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jacinto
Jacinto 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
#5,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,238
+1,987 bearers (+46.7%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Up 1,665 places
2020
#5,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,214
-24 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,237 | 4,251 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,572 | 6,238 | 2.11 | +1,987 bearers (+46.7%) | Up 1,665 places |
| 2020 | #5,421 | 6,214 | 2.08 | -24 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 151 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 Jacinto 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 | #5,572 | #5,421 | 2.7% |
| Count | 6,238 | 6,214 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 2.08 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jacinto bearers went from 6,238 to 6,214 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,572 to #5,421.
FAQ
Jacinto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jacinto?
Name Census estimates that about 7,126 living Americans carry the surname Jacinto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,099 residents.
How common is Jacinto?
Jacinto ranks #5,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 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 6,214 people with the surname Jacinto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 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 Jacinto.
Has Jacinto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jacinto went from 6,238 recorded bearers to 6,214. That is a decrease of 24 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,572 to #5,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Jacinto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jacinto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and White (8.4%). 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 Jacinto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (4,458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jacinto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (71.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%), White (8.4%). 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 Jacinto (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 Jacinto mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "jacinto," meaning hyacinth, referring to a purplish-blue gemstone or flowering plant. 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 Jacinto (2.08 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 Jacinto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.