2000
#6,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Juan
A Spanish patronymic surname meaning "son of Juan," derived from the given name Juan, the Spanish form of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,202 Americans carry the last name Juan. That puts it at #4,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Juan 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 Juan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,248
Census rank
#4,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,025 bearers of the surname Juan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Juan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Juan
The surname Juan originates from Spain and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the personal name Juan, which is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The name Juan gained popularity in Spain after the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors in the 15th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Juan can be found in various medieval documents, such as parish records, tax rolls, and property deeds. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century record of land distribution in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors in 1248.
In the 14th century, a prominent individual named Juan Ruiz, also known as the Arcipreste de Hita, wrote the famous Spanish literary work "Libro de Buen Amor." Juan Ruiz (c. 1283 - c. 1350) is considered one of the earliest known poets and writers of the Spanish language.
Another notable bearer of the surname Juan was Rodrigo Juan (c. 1460 - c. 1530), a Spanish physician and writer who lived during the Renaissance period. He authored several medical treatises and was renowned for his contributions to the field of medicine.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the surname Juan was carried to the New World by Spanish settlers and conquistadors. One such individual was Juan Ponce de León (c. 1460 - 1521), a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for his expeditions to Florida and Puerto Rico.
In the 17th century, Juan Bautista Villalpando (c. 1552 - 1608) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and architect who played a significant role in the design and construction of the Church of the Gesù in Rome, a landmark of Baroque architecture.
Throughout history, the surname Juan has been associated with various place names and locations in Spain, such as Juan de la Cosa, a small village in the province of Cantabria, and Juan Martín del Peso, a municipality in the province of Teruel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Juan
Among Census respondents with the surname Juan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Juan 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 Juan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.6% · 5,024
- Asian and Pacific Islander21.9% · 1,756
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.5% · 680
- White4.5% · 362
- Two or more races1.6% · 130
- Black or African American0.9% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Juan
Juan 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
#4,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,350
+2,539 bearers (+52.8%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Up 1,699 places
2020
#4,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,025
+675 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Up 531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,507 | 4,811 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,808 | 7,350 | 2.49 | +2,539 bearers (+52.8%) | Up 1,699 places |
| 2020 | #4,277 | 8,025 | 2.68 | +675 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 531 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 Juan 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 | #4,808 | #4,277 | 11.0% |
| Count | 7,350 | 8,025 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.68 | 7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Juan bearers went from 7,350 to 8,025 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 531 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,808 to #4,277.
FAQ
Juan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Juan?
Name Census estimates that about 9,202 living Americans carry the surname Juan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,248 residents.
How common is Juan?
Juan ranks #4,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,025 people with the surname Juan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Juan.
Has Juan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Juan went from 7,350 recorded bearers to 8,025. That is an increase of 675 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,808 to #4,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Juan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Juan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.5%). 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 Juan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (5,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Juan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.5%). 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 Juan (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 Juan mean?
A Spanish patronymic surname meaning "son of Juan," derived from the given name Juan, the Spanish form of John. 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 Juan (2.68 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 Juan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.