2000
#316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.63
Common Last name
Maldonado
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Maldonado, meaning "ill-gifted" or "unlucky."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137,554 Americans carry the last name Maldonado. That puts it at #253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 40.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maldonado 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Maldonado with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138K
1 in 2,492
Census rank
#253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
40.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119,954 bearers of the surname Maldonado in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 40.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maldonado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maldonado
The surname Maldonado is of Spanish origin, derived from the combination of two words: "mal" meaning "bad" and "donado" meaning "gifted" or "endowed." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as a descriptive name referring to someone who was considered ill-endowed or lacking in certain qualities.
The surname is thought to have originated in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. It is closely associated with the town of Maldonado, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, which may have been the place of origin for some families bearing this surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Maldonado can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The text mentions a knight named Pedro Maldonado who participated in royal hunting expeditions.
In the 16th century, the name Maldonado gained prominence with the explorer and conquistador Rodrigo de Maldonado, who was born in Salamanca around 1497. He participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés and later became a prominent figure in the exploration and settlement of Central America.
Another notable individual with the surname Maldonado was Alonso Maldonado, a Spanish navigator and explorer who lived in the late 16th century. In 1588, he commanded an expedition to the Strait of Anian, now known as the Bering Strait, in search of a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean.
During the colonial era, the Maldonado surname was carried to various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas and the Philippines. One prominent figure was Nicolás Maldonado, a Spanish soldier and explorer who was born in Salamanca in 1529. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Philippines and was appointed as the first Spanish governor of the island of Mindanao.
In the realm of literature, Juan Maldonado was a renowned Spanish Jesuit and theologian who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Casas de la Reina, Extremadura, in 1533 and is known for his contributions to biblical exegesis and his defense of the Catholic doctrine against the Protestant Reformation.
These examples highlight the historical significance and widespread use of the surname Maldonado across various fields, from exploration and conquest to literature and theology, reflecting its Spanish roots and the global reach of the Spanish Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maldonado
Among Census respondents with the surname Maldonado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maldonado 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 Maldonado surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 111,675
- White5.3% · 6,382
- Black or African American0.6% · 774
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 421
- Two or more races0.3% · 392
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 310
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maldonado
Maldonado 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
#249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121,526
+33,510 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 41.20
Rank movement Up 67 places
2020
#253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119,954
-1,572 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 40.13
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #316 | 88,016 | 32.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #249 | 121,526 | 41.20 | +33,510 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 67 places |
| 2020 | #253 | 119,954 | 40.13 | -1,572 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 4 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 Maldonado 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 | #249 | #253 | -1.6% |
| Count | 121,526 | 119,954 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 41.20 | 40.13 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maldonado bearers went from 121,526 to 119,954 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #249 to #253.
FAQ
Maldonado surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maldonado?
Name Census estimates that about 137,554 living Americans carry the surname Maldonado. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,492 residents.
How common is Maldonado?
Maldonado ranks #253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 40.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 40 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119,954 people with the surname Maldonado. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 40.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 40.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 40 of them to have the surname Maldonado.
Has Maldonado become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maldonado went from 121,526 recorded bearers to 119,954. That is a decrease of 1,572 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #249 to #253.
What does the Census say about the background of Maldonado?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maldonado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) 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 Maldonado in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (111,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maldonado appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (5.3%), 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 Maldonado (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 Maldonado mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Maldonado, meaning "ill-gifted" or "unlucky." 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 Maldonado (40.13 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 Maldonado?
Find out how many people have the last name Maldonado on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.