2000
#9,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,231
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Llanes
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Asturias, Spain, indicating the family's origin in that region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,103 Americans carry the last name Llanes. That puts it at #7,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,167 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Llanes 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
5.1K
1 in 67,167
Census rank
#7,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,450 bearers of the surname Llanes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Llanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%) and White (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Llanes
The surname Llanes has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Asturias. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century. The name is derived from the Spanish place name Llanes, a town situated on the northern coast of Asturias.
This place name, Llanes, is thought to have its roots in the Latin word "planus," which means "flat" or "level." This could be a reference to the town's geographic location, as it lies on a relatively flat coastal area. The transition from "planus" to "Llanes" can be attributed to the linguistic evolution and phonetic changes that occurred in the region over the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Llanes can be found in the 13th century. Pedro Llanes, a nobleman from Asturias, is mentioned in a document dated 1248, which details his involvement in a land dispute. This document serves as evidence of the surname's existence during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the Monastery of San Salvador de Celorio, located in Llanes itself. These records document various individuals with the surname Llanes who lived in the surrounding area and had connections to the monastery.
During the 15th century, a notable figure named Rodrigo Llanes played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands. He was a military commander who participated in the conquest campaigns led by Juan de Bethencourt and his successors between 1402 and 1496.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Juan Llanes, a Spanish explorer and navigator who was born in Llanes around 1480. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his third voyage to the Americas in 1498 and served as a pilot on subsequent expeditions to the Caribbean and Central America.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the Spanish poet and playwright Jerónimo Llanes, who lived from 1560 to 1628. He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of the Golden Age of Spanish literature and is particularly known for his contributions to the development of the Spanish theater.
As the centuries passed, the surname Llanes continued to spread beyond its place of origin in Asturias. It can be found in various regions of Spain, as well as in countries with significant Spanish influence, such as Latin America and the Philippines, due to migration and colonial ties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Llanes
Among Census respondents with the surname Llanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%) and White (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Llanes 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 Llanes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.7% · 3,502
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.3% · 549
- White7.1% · 314
- Two or more races1.5% · 68
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Llanes
Llanes 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
#7,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,197
+966 bearers (+29.9%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 1,384 places
2020
#7,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,450
+253 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 655 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,272 | 3,231 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,888 | 4,197 | 1.42 | +966 bearers (+29.9%) | Up 1,384 places |
| 2020 | #7,233 | 4,450 | 1.49 | +253 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 655 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 Llanes 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 | #7,888 | #7,233 | 8.3% |
| Count | 4,197 | 4,450 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.49 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Llanes bearers went from 4,197 to 4,450 (+6.0% change). The surname moved up 655 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,888 to #7,233.
FAQ
Llanes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Llanes?
Name Census estimates that about 5,103 living Americans carry the surname Llanes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,167 residents.
How common is Llanes?
Llanes ranks #7,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,450 people with the surname Llanes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Llanes.
Has Llanes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Llanes went from 4,197 recorded bearers to 4,450. That is an increase of 253 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,888 to #7,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Llanes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Llanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%) and White (7.1%). 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 Llanes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (3,502 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Llanes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%), White (7.1%). 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 Llanes (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 Llanes mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Asturias, Spain, indicating the family's origin in that region. 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 Llanes (1.49 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 Llanes?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Llanes at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.