2000
#12,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,195
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Liriano
A Spanish surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,110 Americans carry the last name Liriano. That puts it at #8,778 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liriano 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
4.1K
1 in 83,395
Census rank
#8,778
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,584 bearers of the surname Liriano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8778th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liriano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liriano
The surname Liriano originates from the Spanish language and is believed to have its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically the regions of Spain and Portugal. The name likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century.
Liriano is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "lirio," which means "lily." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the cultivation or trade of lilies, or it could have been a descriptive surname referring to someone with a physical resemblance to the lily flower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Liriano can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document dating back to the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors in 1248.
During the 15th century, the name Liriano appeared in various historical records, such as the Cancionero de Baena, a collection of medieval Spanish poetry compiled between 1426 and 1445. One notable figure from this era was Juan Liriano, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the city of Valencia.
In the 16th century, the Liriano surname gained prominence in the Americas following the Spanish colonization of the New World. One significant figure from this period was Pedro Liriano, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
Another notable individual was Catalina Liriano, a Spanish noblewoman who lived in the late 16th century and was known for her philanthropic work and patronage of the arts. She was also a prominent figure in the cultural and social circles of Madrid during her time.
In the 18th century, the Liriano surname appeared in various ecclesiastical records and documents related to the Catholic Church. One example is Father Antonio Liriano, a Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to South America in the 1760s to spread the faith among indigenous populations.
As the centuries progressed, the Liriano name continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, and political figures. Notably, in the 20th century, there was Luis Liriano, a renowned Cuban painter and sculptor who was renowned for his vibrant and colorful works depicting scenes from his native country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liriano
Among Census respondents with the surname Liriano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Liriano 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 Liriano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.2% · 3,448
- White2.6% · 93
- Black or African American0.6% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liriano
Liriano 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
#10,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,139
+944 bearers (+43.0%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 2,583 places
2020
#8,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,584
+445 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 1,490 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,851 | 2,195 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,268 | 3,139 | 1.06 | +944 bearers (+43.0%) | Up 2,583 places |
| 2020 | #8,778 | 3,584 | 1.20 | +445 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 1,490 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 Liriano 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 | #10,268 | #8,778 | 14.5% |
| Count | 3,139 | 3,584 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.20 | 13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liriano bearers went from 3,139 to 3,584 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 1,490 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,268 to #8,778.
FAQ
Liriano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liriano?
Name Census estimates that about 4,110 living Americans carry the surname Liriano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,395 residents.
How common is Liriano?
Liriano ranks #8,778 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,584 people with the surname Liriano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Liriano.
Has Liriano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liriano went from 3,139 recorded bearers to 3,584. That is an increase of 445 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,268 to #8,778.
What does the Census say about the background of Liriano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liriano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) 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 Liriano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (3,448 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liriano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.2%), White (2.6%), 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 Liriano (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 Liriano mean?
A Spanish surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname. 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 Liriano (1.20 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 share the surname Liriano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.