2000
#16,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Mantilla
A Spanish surname derived from the Spanish word for a woman's shawl or small veil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,665 Americans carry the last name Mantilla. That puts it at #12,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mantilla 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
2.7K
1 in 128,613
Census rank
#12,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,324 bearers of the surname Mantilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mantilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mantilla
The surname Mantilla is of Spanish origin and traces its roots back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "mantilla," which was a type of lace or silk veil worn by women in Spain and later in other Spanish-speaking regions.
In the early days, the name Mantilla was likely a descriptive surname, referring to those who made or sold these veils. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Andalusia and Castile, where the mantilla was a popular fashion accessory.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Mantilla can be found in the medieval manuscript "Libro de las Estampas" from the 14th century, which mentions a family with this surname living in the city of Seville.
Mantilla is also found in the "Libro de Becerro," a document compiled in the 14th century that lists noble families and their coats of arms. This suggests that the Mantilla family had attained a certain level of prominence by that time.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Mantilla in the past are:
1. Juan de Mantilla (c. 1450-1520), a Spanish painter and sculptor who worked on several churches and cathedrals in Andalusia.
2. Margarita Mantilla (1560-1635), a Spanish writer and poet who published a collection of sonnets and love poems during the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
3. Diego Mantilla y Arellano (1630-1698), a Spanish military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War and later served as the Governor of Panama.
4. Josefa Mantilla (1768-1853), a Spanish-born woman who was one of the founders of the city of Los Angeles, California, and is considered a prominent figure in the early history of the region.
5. Manuel Mantilla y Antón (1829-1891), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Madrid from 1879 to 1881.
The name Mantilla has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Mantillas, a municipality in the province of Guadalajara, and Mantilla, a village in the province of Soria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mantilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Mantilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mantilla 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 Mantilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 2,098
- White6.5% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 48
- Black or African American0.8% · 19
- Two or more races0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mantilla
Mantilla 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
#15,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,898
+352 bearers (+22.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,526 places
2020
#12,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,324
+426 bearers (+22.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 2,749 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,960 | 1,546 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,434 | 1,898 | 0.64 | +352 bearers (+22.8%) | Up 1,526 places |
| 2020 | #12,685 | 2,324 | 0.78 | +426 bearers (+22.4%) | Up 2,749 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 Mantilla 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 | #15,434 | #12,685 | 17.8% |
| Count | 1,898 | 2,324 | 22.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.78 | 21.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mantilla bearers went from 1,898 to 2,324 (+22.4% change). The surname moved up 2,749 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,434 to #12,685.
FAQ
Mantilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mantilla?
Name Census estimates that about 2,665 living Americans carry the surname Mantilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,613 residents.
How common is Mantilla?
Mantilla ranks #12,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,324 people with the surname Mantilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Mantilla.
Has Mantilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mantilla went from 1,898 recorded bearers to 2,324. That is an increase of 426 (+22.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,434 to #12,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Mantilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mantilla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Mantilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mantilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Mantilla (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 Mantilla mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Spanish word for a woman's shawl or small veil. 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 Mantilla (0.78 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 share the surname Mantilla?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.