2000
#2,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,077
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.59
Uncommon Last name
Ledesma
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "the swamp" or "the meadow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,279 Americans carry the last name Ledesma. That puts it at #1,810 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,385 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ledesma 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
22K
1 in 15,385
Census rank
#1,810
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,428 bearers of the surname Ledesma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1810th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledesma, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ledesma
The surname Ledesma has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Spanish word "leda," meaning a type of reed or watergrass, and the suffix "-esma," which indicates a place or location. Thus, the name likely referred to a place where reeds or watergrasses were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ledesma can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a manuscript from the 14th century that documented the holdings and properties of the Spanish nobility. This suggests that the name was already established among the Spanish aristocracy during that time.
The name Ledesma is also associated with the town of Ledesma in the province of Salamanca, Spain. This town dates back to the Roman era and was an important settlement during the Middle Ages. It is possible that some individuals bearing the surname Ledesma originated from this town or its surrounding areas.
In the 16th century, a notable individual with the surname Ledesma was Pedro de Ledesma (1544-1616), a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian who taught at the University of Salamanca and authored several works on moral theology.
Another historical figure was Juan de Ledesma (c. 1520-1604), a Spanish painter and sculptor who worked during the Renaissance period. His most famous work is the altarpiece in the Church of San Martín in Valladolid, Spain.
In the 17th century, Bartolomé de Ledesma (1585-1647) was a Spanish dramatist and poet from Madrid. He wrote numerous plays and poems, contributing to the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
In the 18th century, Antonio de Ledesma y Robles (1725-1796) was a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications and public buildings in Spain and its colonies.
Jumping to the 19th century, Mariano Ledesma Balbín (1811-1887) was a Peruvian politician and writer who served as the President of Peru from 1868 to 1872.
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals bearing the surname Ledesma, which has its roots firmly planted in the cultural and historical landscape of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ledesma
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledesma, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ledesma 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 Ledesma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.0% · 16,907
- White7.5% · 1,448
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 794
- Two or more races0.7% · 132
- Black or African American0.4% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ledesma
Ledesma 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
#1,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,311
+5,234 bearers (+34.7%)
Per 100,000 6.89
Rank movement Up 443 places
2020
#1,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,428
-883 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.50
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,211 | 15,077 | 5.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,768 | 20,311 | 6.89 | +5,234 bearers (+34.7%) | Up 443 places |
| 2020 | #1,810 | 19,428 | 6.50 | -883 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 42 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 Ledesma 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 | #1,768 | #1,810 | -2.4% |
| Count | 20,311 | 19,428 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.89 | 6.50 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ledesma bearers went from 20,311 to 19,428 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,768 to #1,810.
FAQ
Ledesma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ledesma?
Name Census estimates that about 22,279 living Americans carry the surname Ledesma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,385 residents.
How common is Ledesma?
Ledesma ranks #1,810 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,428 people with the surname Ledesma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Ledesma.
Has Ledesma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ledesma went from 20,311 recorded bearers to 19,428. That is a decrease of 883 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,768 to #1,810.
What does the Census say about the background of Ledesma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledesma, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Ledesma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (16,907 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ledesma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.0%), White (7.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Ledesma (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 Ledesma mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "the swamp" or "the meadow." 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 Ledesma (6.50 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 common is the surname Ledesma?
Want to know how common the surname Ledesma is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.