2000
#2,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.43
Uncommon Last name
Naranjo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "naranjo," meaning "orange tree," likely referring to someone who lived near or tended to orange groves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,030 Americans carry the last name Naranjo. That puts it at #2,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naranjo 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
18K
1 in 19,010
Census rank
#2,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,723 bearers of the surname Naranjo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naranjo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naranjo
The surname Naranjo originated in Spain, specifically in the Spanish regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castilla La Mancha. It is derived from the Spanish word "naranja," meaning orange, which itself comes from the Sanskrit word "naranga." The name likely originated as a nickname or a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near an orange grove or was associated with the orange trade.
Naranjo can be traced back to the 13th century in Spain, with some of the earliest recorded instances appearing in medieval documents and records from the Kingdom of Castile. One notable mention is in the "Libro de la Montería," a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, where it is used as a place name for a location in the province of Cáceres.
In the 15th century, the surname Naranjo appeared in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document that recorded the distribution of land and properties in Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This suggests that individuals with the surname Naranjo were among the early settlers in the region.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Naranjo was Juan Naranjo, a prominent Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. He was born in Seville, Spain, around 1490 and accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in 1519.
Another notable figure was Pedro Naranjo, a Spanish painter and sculptor from the 16th century. He was born in Seville around 1510 and is known for his contributions to the Baroque art movement in Spain.
In the 17th century, Francisco Naranjo was a Spanish dramatist and playwright who wrote several plays and comedies that were performed in Madrid and other Spanish cities.
During the 18th century, José Naranjo was a renowned Spanish architect who worked on several important projects, including the construction of the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, a royal palace located near Madrid.
In the 19th century, Mateo Naranjo was a Spanish writer and poet who was part of the Romantic movement in literature. He was born in Cádiz, Spain, in 1809 and published several collections of poems and literary works during his lifetime.
Overall, the surname Naranjo has a rich history deeply rooted in Spanish culture and can be traced back to the medieval period, with many notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naranjo
Among Census respondents with the surname Naranjo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Naranjo 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 Naranjo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.2% · 14,181
- White5.8% · 919
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 325
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 144
- Two or more races0.6% · 91
- Black or African American0.4% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Naranjo
Naranjo 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
#2,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,658
+3,712 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 5.31
Rank movement Up 444 places
2020
#2,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,723
+65 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 5.26
Rank movement Up 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,772 | 11,946 | 4.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,328 | 15,658 | 5.31 | +3,712 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 444 places |
| 2020 | #2,248 | 15,723 | 5.26 | +65 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 80 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 Naranjo 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 | #2,328 | #2,248 | 3.4% |
| Count | 15,658 | 15,723 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.31 | 5.26 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Naranjo bearers went from 15,658 to 15,723 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,328 to #2,248.
FAQ
Naranjo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naranjo?
Name Census estimates that about 18,030 living Americans carry the surname Naranjo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,010 residents.
How common is Naranjo?
Naranjo ranks #2,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,723 people with the surname Naranjo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Naranjo.
Has Naranjo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Naranjo went from 15,658 recorded bearers to 15,723. That is an increase of 65 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,328 to #2,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Naranjo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naranjo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Naranjo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (14,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naranjo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.2%), White (5.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Naranjo (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 Naranjo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "naranjo," meaning "orange tree," likely referring to someone who lived near or tended to orange groves. 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 Naranjo (5.26 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 Naranjo?
Find out how many people have the last name Naranjo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.