2000
#14,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Lacayo
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a messenger, footman, or lackey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,659 Americans carry the last name Lacayo. That puts it at #12,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacayo 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
2.7K
1 in 128,903
Census rank
#12,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,319 bearers of the surname Lacayo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacayo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacayo
The surname Lacayo is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Spanish word "lacayo," which means "lackey" or "footman." This name has its roots in medieval Spain, where it was initially used as an occupational surname for those who served as attendants or footmen to nobility or people of high social standing.
The earliest recorded instances of the Lacayo surname can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Spain, particularly in Aragon, Catalonia, and Castile. It is believed that the name may have originated from the Basque word "lacai," which means "servant" or "attendant," further reinforcing its occupational origins.
One of the earliest documented references to the Lacayo name appears in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which mentions individuals with this surname serving as huntsmen or attendants to the royal court.
Notable individuals with the Lacayo surname throughout history include Juan Lacayo (1460-1525), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Americas under Hernán Cortés. Another prominent figure was Catalina Lacayo (1525-1590), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner in the region of Extremadura.
In the 16th century, the Lacayo surname also gained prominence in Mexico, where Juan Lacayo (1540-1610) was a prominent landowner and rancher in the state of Nuevo León. His descendant, Pedro Lacayo (1590-1665), was a respected military commander and played a significant role in the defense of the region against indigenous uprisings.
During the 17th century, the Lacayo surname appeared in various historical records and documents across Spain and its colonies, including the "Libro de Privilegios" (Book of Privileges) of the city of Seville, which mentions several individuals with this name holding positions of authority and influence.
Another noteworthy individual was Tomás Lacayo (1680-1755), a Spanish-born missionary priest who traveled to the Philippines and made significant contributions to the evangelization efforts in the region. His contemporary, Isabel Lacayo (1695-1770), was a renowned poet and writer from Andalusia, whose works were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
Throughout the centuries, the Lacayo surname has maintained its presence in various Spanish-speaking countries, with notable individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including literature, arts, politics, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacayo
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacayo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacayo 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 Lacayo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 2,073
- White7.8% · 182
- Black or African American1.8% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Two or more races0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacayo
Lacayo 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
#13,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
+362 bearers (+18.7%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 945 places
2020
#12,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,319
+20 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,212 | 1,937 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,267 | 2,299 | 0.78 | +362 bearers (+18.7%) | Up 945 places |
| 2020 | #12,709 | 2,319 | 0.78 | +20 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 558 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 Lacayo 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 | #13,267 | #12,709 | 4.2% |
| Count | 2,299 | 2,319 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.78 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacayo bearers went from 2,299 to 2,319 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 558 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,267 to #12,709.
FAQ
Lacayo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacayo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,659 living Americans carry the surname Lacayo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,903 residents.
How common is Lacayo?
Lacayo ranks #12,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,319 people with the surname Lacayo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,659), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Lacayo.
Has Lacayo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacayo went from 2,299 recorded bearers to 2,319. That is an increase of 20 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,267 to #12,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacayo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacayo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Lacayo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacayo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), White (7.8%), Black (1.8%). 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 Lacayo (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 Lacayo mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a messenger, footman, or lackey. 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 Lacayo (0.78 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 last name Lacayo?
Want to know how common the surname Lacayo is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.