2000
#5,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Landa
A toponymic surname of Italian origin, referring to someone who lived near a small, narrow street or alley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,824 Americans carry the last name Landa. That puts it at #4,470 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,843 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Landa 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 Landa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,843
Census rank
#4,470
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,695 bearers of the surname Landa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4470th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Landa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Landa
The surname Landa is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Basque word "landa," which means "countryside" or "cultivated land." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in or worked on a rural estate or farmland.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Landa can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of Spain, particularly in the Basque Country and the surrounding areas. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Juan de Landa, a nobleman from Navarre mentioned in historical records from the 1200s, and Pedro Landa, a landowner from the Basque Province of Álava who was documented in the 1300s.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Landa gained prominence in Spain with the rise of several notable figures. One such individual was Diego de Landa, a Spanish Franciscan friar and bishop who lived from 1524 to 1579. He is infamous for his role in the destruction of many Maya codices and his harsh treatment of the indigenous population during the Spanish colonization of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Another prominent bearer of the surname was Niccolò Landa, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1535 to 1599. He worked primarily in Spain and is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of the Escorial monastery near Madrid.
In the 17th century, Pedro de Landa y Calderón, a Spanish soldier and governor of the Philippines, played a significant role in the Spanish colonization efforts in the Pacific. He served as the governor of the Philippines from 1659 to 1663.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the surname Landa began to spread across Europe and the Americas. In the 18th century, José Félix de Landa y Noriega, a Spanish naval officer and explorer, led several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest regions of North America and contributed to the mapping and exploration of those territories.
Throughout its history, the surname Landa has been associated with various professions, including landowners, military leaders, religious figures, and explorers. While the name originated in Spain, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of Europe, Latin America, and beyond, reflecting the far-reaching influence of the Spanish language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Landa
Among Census respondents with the surname Landa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Landa 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 Landa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.2% · 5,940
- White20.5% · 1,579
- Two or more races0.8% · 61
- Black or African American0.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Landa
Landa 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
#4,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,267
+2,502 bearers (+43.4%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Up 1,241 places
2020
#4,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,695
-572 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,539 | 5,765 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,298 | 8,267 | 2.80 | +2,502 bearers (+43.4%) | Up 1,241 places |
| 2020 | #4,470 | 7,695 | 2.57 | -572 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 172 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 Landa 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 | #4,298 | #4,470 | -4.0% |
| Count | 8,267 | 7,695 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.57 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Landa bearers went from 8,267 to 7,695 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,298 to #4,470.
FAQ
Landa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Landa?
Name Census estimates that about 8,824 living Americans carry the surname Landa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,843 residents.
How common is Landa?
Landa ranks #4,470 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 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 7,695 people with the surname Landa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 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 Landa.
Has Landa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Landa went from 8,267 recorded bearers to 7,695. That is a decrease of 572 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,298 to #4,470.
What does the Census say about the background of Landa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Landa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Landa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (5,940 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Landa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.2%), White (20.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Landa (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 Landa mean?
A toponymic surname of Italian origin, referring to someone who lived near a small, narrow street or alley. 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 Landa (2.57 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 Landa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.