2000
#14,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,837
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Justiniano
Derived from the Latin name Justinianus, meaning "just" or "fair," and likely referring to someone with such qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,967 Americans carry the last name Justiniano. That puts it at #11,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,522 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Justiniano 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
3.0K
1 in 115,522
Census rank
#11,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,587 bearers of the surname Justiniano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Justiniano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Justiniano
The surname Justiniano is of Spanish and Portuguese origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Late Latin name Justinianus, which itself stems from the Roman family name Justinus.
One of the earliest records of the name Justiniano can be found in the 12th-century cartulary of the Monastery of Sobrado, located in the northwestern region of Galicia, Spain. This document mentions individuals bearing the surname, indicating its presence in the area during that time.
The name Justiniano is closely associated with the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, who reigned from 527 to 565 AD. It is believed that some individuals may have adopted the surname as a way of honoring or expressing allegiance to the influential ruler.
In the 13th century, the name Justiniano appears in Portuguese royal records, suggesting its presence among the nobility of the time. One notable figure was João Justiniano, a 14th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the early Portuguese explorations of the Atlantic Ocean.
Another prominent individual with the surname Justiniano was Agostinho Justiniano, a 16th-century Portuguese bishop and writer. He was born in Lisbon in 1516 and served as the Bishop of Portalegre before his death in 1590.
During the Renaissance period, the name Justiniano gained further recognition through the works of the Italian humanist and historian Pietro Justiniano, born in Venice in 1470. He authored several historical works, including a chronicle of Venetian history.
In Spain, the name Justiniano has been associated with various notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Juan de Justiniano, a 16th-century Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
Another prominent figure was Miguel de Justiniano, a 17th-century Spanish admiral who played a crucial role in defending the Spanish Armada against the English fleet during the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604.
While the surname Justiniano is found in various parts of the world today, its roots can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Justiniano
Among Census respondents with the surname Justiniano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Justiniano 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 Justiniano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.8% · 2,143
- White9.7% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 123
- Black or African American1.6% · 42
- Two or more races1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Justiniano
Justiniano 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
#12,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,481
+644 bearers (+35.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 2,317 places
2020
#11,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,587
+106 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 885 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,813 | 1,837 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,496 | 2,481 | 0.84 | +644 bearers (+35.1%) | Up 2,317 places |
| 2020 | #11,611 | 2,587 | 0.87 | +106 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 885 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 Justiniano 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 | #12,496 | #11,611 | 7.1% |
| Count | 2,481 | 2,587 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.87 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Justiniano bearers went from 2,481 to 2,587 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 885 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,496 to #11,611.
FAQ
Justiniano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Justiniano?
Name Census estimates that about 2,967 living Americans carry the surname Justiniano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,522 residents.
How common is Justiniano?
Justiniano ranks #11,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,587 people with the surname Justiniano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,967), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Justiniano.
Has Justiniano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Justiniano went from 2,481 recorded bearers to 2,587. That is an increase of 106 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,496 to #11,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Justiniano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Justiniano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.8%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Justiniano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (2,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Justiniano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.8%), White (9.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Justiniano (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 Justiniano mean?
Derived from the Latin name Justinianus, meaning "just" or "fair," and likely referring to someone with such qualities. 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 Justiniano (0.87 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 share the surname Justiniano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.