2000
#2,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,799
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.74
Uncommon Last name
Linares
A Spanish habitational surname indicating a person from any of the numerous places named Linares, meaning "flax fields."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,654 Americans carry the last name Linares. That puts it at #1,771 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,130 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linares 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
23K
1 in 15,130
Census rank
#1,771
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,755 bearers of the surname Linares in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1771st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linares, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linares
The surname Linares is of Spanish origin, originating in the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "linaria," which means flax or linen, suggesting an association with the cultivation or trade of these materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Linares can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of lands and properties in Seville following the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This indicates that the name was already present in the region during that time period.
The name Linares is also closely linked to several towns and municipalities in Spain, particularly in the provinces of Jaén and Ciudad Real. These place names likely originated from the Spanish word "linares," which means flax fields or linen factories, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the flax or linen industry.
One notable historical figure with the surname Linares was Pedro de Linares (1544-1597), a Spanish missionary and linguist who worked in Mexico during the 16th century. He is credited with developing one of the earliest grammars of the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs.
Another prominent individual was Francisco de Linares y Pacheco (1574-1653), a Spanish knight and military commander who served in the Spanish Netherlands and participated in various campaigns during the Eighty Years' War.
In the field of literature, Juan de Linares (1577-1658) was a Spanish playwright and poet from Madrid, known for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
Moving into the 19th century, José María Linares (1808-1861) was a Cuban poet and playwright who played a significant role in the development of Cuban national literature and identity.
Lastly, Manuel Linares Rivas (1867-1938) was a Spanish dramatist and politician from Galicia, renowned for his works that explored social issues and the lives of the middle class.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linares
Among Census respondents with the surname Linares, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Linares 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 Linares surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 18,452
- White5.3% · 1,054
- Black or African American0.6% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 70
- Two or more races0.3% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linares
Linares 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
#1,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,688
+6,889 bearers (+53.8%)
Per 100,000 6.67
Rank movement Up 775 places
2020
#1,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,755
+67 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 6.61
Rank movement Up 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,595 | 12,799 | 4.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,820 | 19,688 | 6.67 | +6,889 bearers (+53.8%) | Up 775 places |
| 2020 | #1,771 | 19,755 | 6.61 | +67 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 49 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 Linares 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 | #1,820 | #1,771 | 2.7% |
| Count | 19,688 | 19,755 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.67 | 6.61 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linares bearers went from 19,688 to 19,755 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,820 to #1,771.
FAQ
Linares surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linares?
Name Census estimates that about 22,654 living Americans carry the surname Linares. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,130 residents.
How common is Linares?
Linares ranks #1,771 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,755 people with the surname Linares. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,654), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Linares.
Has Linares become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linares went from 19,688 recorded bearers to 19,755. That is an increase of 67 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,820 to #1,771.
What does the Census say about the background of Linares?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linares, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Linares in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (18,452 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linares appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (5.3%), Black (0.6%). 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 Linares (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 Linares mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating a person from any of the numerous places named Linares, meaning "flax fields." 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 Linares (6.61 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 have the surname Linares?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.