2000
#995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.85
Uncommon Last name
Murillo
A Spanish surname referring to someone who lived near a wall or worked as a stone mason.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,253 Americans carry the last name Murillo. That puts it at #743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murillo 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
52K
1 in 6,560
Census rank
#743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,567 bearers of the surname Murillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Murillo
The surname Murillo originates from Spain and is believed to have its roots in the medieval period, specifically the 12th to 13th centuries. It is derived from the Spanish word "muro," which means "wall" or "rampart," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a wall or defensive structure.
The earliest recorded instances of the Murillo name can be traced back to the regions of Andalusia and Valencia in southern Spain. It is possible that the name was initially associated with specific places or towns bearing similar names, such as Murillo de Río Leza in La Rioja, Spain.
One notable historical reference to the Murillo surname is found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions individuals with the Murillo surname, indicating the name's presence during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Murillo surname. One of the most famous is Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682), a celebrated Spanish Baroque painter known for his religious works and genre scenes depicting everyday life. His paintings, such as "The Immaculate Conception" and "The Young Beggar," are considered masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age.
Another prominent figure was Pedro Murillo Velarde (1696-1753), a Spanish Jesuit priest and chronicler who wrote extensively about the history and geography of South America, particularly the regions that are now parts of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
In the realm of literature, Manuel Murillo Treviño (1916-2004) was a renowned Mexican poet and essayist known for his works that explored themes of social justice and the human condition.
The Murillo name also has a presence in the political sphere. For instance, Andrés Murillo (1840-1904) was a Honduran lawyer and statesman who served as the 17th President of Honduras from 1900 to 1902.
Additionally, Joaquín Murillo (1951-present) is a notable Colombian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Colombia from 2018 to 2022.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Murillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Murillo 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 Murillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 42,515
- White4.6% · 2,104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 426
- Black or African American0.4% · 187
- Two or more races0.4% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 159
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murillo
Murillo 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
#757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,558
+13,594 bearers (+42.5%)
Per 100,000 15.44
Rank movement Up 238 places
2020
#743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,567
+9 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 15.24
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #995 | 31,964 | 11.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #757 | 45,558 | 15.44 | +13,594 bearers (+42.5%) | Up 238 places |
| 2020 | #743 | 45,567 | 15.24 | +9 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 14 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 Murillo 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 | #757 | #743 | 1.8% |
| Count | 45,558 | 45,567 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 15.44 | 15.24 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murillo bearers went from 45,558 to 45,567 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #757 to #743.
FAQ
Murillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murillo?
Name Census estimates that about 52,253 living Americans carry the surname Murillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,560 residents.
How common is Murillo?
Murillo ranks #743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,567 people with the surname Murillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Murillo.
Has Murillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murillo went from 45,558 recorded bearers to 45,567. That is an increase of 9 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #757 to #743.
What does the Census say about the background of Murillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Murillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (42,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Murillo (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 Murillo mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone who lived near a wall or worked as a stone mason. 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 Murillo (15.24 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 Murillo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.