2000
#10,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Llanos
A Spanish topographic surname referring to a person who lived near plains or flat lands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,867 Americans carry the last name Llanos. That puts it at #7,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,424 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Llanos 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
4.9K
1 in 70,424
Census rank
#7,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,244 bearers of the surname Llanos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Llanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Llanos
The surname LLANOS is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "llano" meaning "plain" or "flatland." It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, referring to people who lived in or near a flat or level area of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname LLANOS can be traced back to the 13th century in Spain, where it was commonly found in regions such as Castile and Andalusia. In medieval times, the name was sometimes spelled as "Llano" or "Lanos."
One of the earliest known bearers of the LLANOS surname was Pedro de Llanos, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Juan de Llanos, a 16th-century Spanish architect who contributed to the design and construction of several significant buildings in Seville.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the LLANOS surname was carried across the Atlantic Ocean. In the 16th and 17th centuries, individuals with this surname played a role in the exploration and settlement of various regions in Latin America, particularly in areas known for their vast plains or "llanos."
Notable individuals with the LLANOS surname include:
1. Félix María de Llanos y Valdes (1768-1817), a Spanish military officer and revolutionary who fought against Spanish rule in Venezuela.
2. Manuel Antonio Llanos (1792-1862), a Venezuelan military leader and politician who served as President of Venezuela from 1843 to 1847.
3. Rudecindo Llanos (1888-1949), a Cuban baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.
4. Joaquín Llanos (1906-1979), a Mexican sculptor and artist known for his monumental public works and abstract sculptures.
5. Consuelo Llanos (1925-2016), a Venezuelan painter and artist who gained recognition for her vibrant and colorful works depicting Venezuelan landscapes and culture.
While the LLANOS surname is most prevalent in Spain and Latin American countries, it has also been carried to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Llanos
Among Census respondents with the surname Llanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Llanos 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 Llanos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.2% · 3,658
- White6.1% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 186
- Black or African American2.2% · 92
- Two or more races0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Llanos
Llanos 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
#8,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,089
+1,283 bearers (+45.7%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 2,395 places
2020
#7,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,244
+155 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,501 | 2,806 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,106 | 4,089 | 1.39 | +1,283 bearers (+45.7%) | Up 2,395 places |
| 2020 | #7,547 | 4,244 | 1.42 | +155 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 559 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 Llanos 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 | #8,106 | #7,547 | 6.9% |
| Count | 4,089 | 4,244 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.42 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Llanos bearers went from 4,089 to 4,244 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,106 to #7,547.
FAQ
Llanos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Llanos?
Name Census estimates that about 4,867 living Americans carry the surname Llanos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,424 residents.
How common is Llanos?
Llanos ranks #7,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,244 people with the surname Llanos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,867), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Llanos.
Has Llanos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Llanos went from 4,089 recorded bearers to 4,244. That is an increase of 155 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,106 to #7,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Llanos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Llanos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Llanos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (3,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Llanos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.2%), White (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Llanos (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 Llanos mean?
A Spanish topographic surname referring to a person who lived near plains or flat lands. 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 Llanos (1.42 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 Llanos?
See how many people are called Llanos on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.