2000
#3,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,521
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Uncommon Last name
Llamas
A Spanish surname derived from the animal "llama," likely referring to a herder or owner of llamas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,314 Americans carry the last name Llamas. That puts it at #3,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Llamas 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
12K
1 in 27,835
Census rank
#3,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,738 bearers of the surname Llamas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Llamas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Llamas
The surname Llamas has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the late 15th century. It is thought to have derived from the Spanish word "llama," which referred to the South American camelid animal of the same name. In those times, surnames were often assigned based on a person's occupation, physical characteristics, or place of origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Llamas surname can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a document from 1489 mentions a certain Rodrigo de Llamas. It is likely that this individual or their ancestors may have been involved in the trade or handling of llamas, which could explain the adoption of the surname.
During the 16th century, the name Llamas began to appear in various records throughout Spain, particularly in regions like Andalusia and Castile. One notable example is Juan de Llamas, a renowned painter from Seville who lived between 1520 and 1592, and whose works can still be admired in several Spanish churches and museums.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the Llamas surname also found its way to the New World. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name in the Americas was Diego de Llamas, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.
In the 17th century, the Llamas family had established itself in various parts of Spain and its colonies. One prominent figure was Alonso de Llamas y Argüelles, a Spanish military officer who served as the Governor of Chile from 1629 to 1630.
As the centuries passed, the Llamas surname continued to spread across Spain and its territories. In the 19th century, José María Llamas y Molina (1816-1872) was a notable Spanish historian and politician who served as a member of the Royal Academy of History.
Other notable individuals with the Llamas surname include Leopoldo Llamas (1901-1983), a Mexican painter and muralist known for his works depicting indigenous themes, and José Llamas Martín (1894-1976), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Spanish Civil War and later served as the Governor of the Spanish Sahara.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Llamas
Among Census respondents with the surname Llamas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Llamas 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 Llamas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 9,603
- White5.0% · 540
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 488
- Two or more races0.4% · 41
- Black or African American0.3% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Llamas
Llamas 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
#3,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,028
+2,507 bearers (+29.4%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Up 554 places
2020
#3,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,738
-290 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,829 | 8,521 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,275 | 11,028 | 3.74 | +2,507 bearers (+29.4%) | Up 554 places |
| 2020 | #3,283 | 10,738 | 3.59 | -290 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 8 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 Llamas 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 | #3,275 | #3,283 | -0.2% |
| Count | 11,028 | 10,738 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.74 | 3.59 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Llamas bearers went from 11,028 to 10,738 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,275 to #3,283.
FAQ
Llamas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Llamas?
Name Census estimates that about 12,314 living Americans carry the surname Llamas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,835 residents.
How common is Llamas?
Llamas ranks #3,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,738 people with the surname Llamas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Llamas.
Has Llamas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Llamas went from 11,028 recorded bearers to 10,738. That is a decrease of 290 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,275 to #3,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Llamas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Llamas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Llamas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (9,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Llamas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), White (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Llamas (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 Llamas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the animal "llama," likely referring to a herder or owner of llamas. 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 Llamas (3.59 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 Llamas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.