2000
#23,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,020
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Justo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "justo" meaning "just" or "righteous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,097 Americans carry the last name Justo. That puts it at #15,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,450 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Justo 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
2.1K
1 in 163,450
Census rank
#15,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,829 bearers of the surname Justo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Justo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.2%) and White (13.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Justo
The surname Justo has its origins in Spain, where it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Latin word "justus," meaning "just" or "upright," suggesting that it may have initially been used as a descriptor for someone considered to be a fair or righteous person.
This surname can be traced back to the early 13th century, as evidenced by records from the region of Castile, where variations such as Juste and Justo appeared in historical documents. It is likely that the name spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula during the subsequent centuries, as Spain experienced periods of expansion and cultural exchange.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Justo can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which contains the name of a nobleman named Rodrigo Justo. This document serves as a valuable historical record, shedding light on the presence of this surname in medieval Spain.
The name Justo has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Juan Justo, a Protestant theologian born in Castile, played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Spain. Another prominent figure was Fray Juan de Justo, a Spanish Franciscan friar and historian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
During the 17th century, the name Justo gained prominence in the arts, with the renowned Spanish painter Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo Justo (1612-1667) becoming a prominent figure in the Spanish Golden Age of art. His works, which include portraits and religious scenes, can be found in prestigious museums and collections around the world.
In the realm of literature, the 19th century saw the emergence of the Spanish writer and poet Juan Francisco Vásquez Justo (1833-1898), whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Throughout its history, the surname Justo has been closely associated with various regions in Spain, such as Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia, where it has deep roots. It has also spread to other parts of the world through Spanish exploration and colonization, particularly in Latin America and the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Justo
Among Census respondents with the surname Justo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.2%) and White (13.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Justo 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 Justo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino70.2% · 1,284
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.2% · 260
- White13.4% · 245
- Two or more races1.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Justo
Justo 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
#17,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,585
+565 bearers (+55.4%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 5,601 places
2020
#15,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,829
+244 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 2,261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,300 | 1,020 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,699 | 1,585 | 0.54 | +565 bearers (+55.4%) | Up 5,601 places |
| 2020 | #15,438 | 1,829 | 0.61 | +244 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 2,261 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 Justo 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 | #17,699 | #15,438 | 12.8% |
| Count | 1,585 | 1,829 | 15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.61 | 13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Justo bearers went from 1,585 to 1,829 (+15.4% change). The surname moved up 2,261 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,699 to #15,438.
FAQ
Justo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Justo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,097 living Americans carry the surname Justo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,450 residents.
How common is Justo?
Justo ranks #15,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,829 people with the surname Justo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Justo.
Has Justo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Justo went from 1,585 recorded bearers to 1,829. That is an increase of 244 (+15.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,699 to #15,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Justo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Justo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.2%) and White (13.4%). 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 Justo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (1,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Justo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (70.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.2%), White (13.4%). 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 Justo (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 Justo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "justo" meaning "just" or "righteous." 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 Justo (0.61 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 are called Justo?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Justo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.