2000
#17,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Lizardo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "lizard," likely referring to someone with a connection to lizards or reptiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,752 Americans carry the last name Lizardo. That puts it at #12,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,547 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lizardo 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
2.8K
1 in 124,547
Census rank
#12,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,400 bearers of the surname Lizardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lizardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lizardo
The surname Lizardo is of Spanish origin and dates back to the medieval era in Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "lizardo," which means "smooth" or "polished." This name likely referred to someone who worked as a stone polisher or mason.
The earliest recorded instances of the Lizardo surname can be found in historical documents from the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain, where it was particularly prevalent during the 15th and 16th centuries. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name include Juan Lizardo, a stonemason from Seville who was born around 1480, and Pedro Lizardo, a renowned sculptor from Badajoz who lived in the late 16th century.
In the 16th century, the Lizardo surname also appeared in various manuscripts and records related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One notable figure was Diego Lizardo, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the 1520s.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name has remained relatively consistent, with variations such as Lizardo, Lizardi, and Lizárraga appearing occasionally. One of the earliest recorded uses of the Lizárraga variant can be found in reference to Juan Lizárraga, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 1530s.
Another notable bearer of the Lizardo surname was Miguel Lizardo, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the late 17th century and was known for his religious and mythological works.
In the 19th century, José Lizardo y Mandit was a prominent Cuban poet and writer who was born in 1832 and played a significant role in the Cuban literary movement of the time.
It is worth noting that while the Lizardo surname is of Spanish origin, it has spread to various parts of the world due to Spanish migration and colonization, including Latin American countries and the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lizardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Lizardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lizardo 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 Lizardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.4% · 1,930
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.4% · 274
- White5.1% · 122
- Two or more races1.8% · 44
- Black or African American1.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lizardo
Lizardo 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
#14,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,120
+667 bearers (+45.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 3,603 places
2020
#12,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,400
+280 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 1,808 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,771 | 1,453 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,168 | 2,120 | 0.72 | +667 bearers (+45.9%) | Up 3,603 places |
| 2020 | #12,360 | 2,400 | 0.80 | +280 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 1,808 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 Lizardo 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 | #14,168 | #12,360 | 12.8% |
| Count | 2,120 | 2,400 | 13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.80 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lizardo bearers went from 2,120 to 2,400 (+13.2% change). The surname moved up 1,808 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,168 to #12,360.
FAQ
Lizardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lizardo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,752 living Americans carry the surname Lizardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,547 residents.
How common is Lizardo?
Lizardo ranks #12,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,400 people with the surname Lizardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Lizardo.
Has Lizardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lizardo went from 2,120 recorded bearers to 2,400. That is an increase of 280 (+13.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,168 to #12,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Lizardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lizardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (5.1%). 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 Lizardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (1,930 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lizardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%), White (5.1%). 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 Lizardo (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 Lizardo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "lizard," likely referring to someone with a connection to lizards or reptiles. 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 Lizardo (0.80 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 are called Lizardo?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Lizardo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.