2000
#11,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,400
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Obando
A Spanish surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from the town of Obando, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,797 Americans carry the last name Obando. That puts it at #9,415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Obando 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
3.8K
1 in 90,270
Census rank
#9,415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,311 bearers of the surname Obando in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Obando, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Obando
The surname Obando originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "obando," which means "meadow" or "field." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow or open field.
In the early 13th century, the name Obando appears in various historical records from the regions of Cantabria and Vizcaya in northern Spain. One notable example is the mention of a nobleman named Gonzalo Obando in a document from the year 1217, detailing land grants and property holdings in the town of Laredo.
The surname Obando is also found in several medieval manuscripts and chronicles from the Kingdom of Castile, indicating that individuals bearing this name held positions of importance or were involved in significant events during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Obando is Juan Obando, a Spanish conquistador born around 1480 in Seville. He participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro and was granted land and titles in recognition of his military service.
Another notable figure was Pedro de Obando, a 16th-century Spanish sailor and explorer who served as the Governor of Panama from 1534 to 1537. He was instrumental in establishing settlements along the Pacific coast of Central America and facilitating trade and exploration in the region.
In the 17th century, Baltasar Obando y Mogrovejo (1592-1669) was a Spanish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Guamanga (now Ayacucho) in Peru. He played a significant role in the Catholic Church's efforts to evangelize and educate the indigenous population of the region.
The surname Obando has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Obando de Camarzana in the province of Burgos, and Obando de Villarén in the province of Palencia. These locations may have contributed to the spread and variations of the surname over time.
One of the most prominent figures with the surname Obando was Rafael Obando y Ricaurte (1804-1886), a Colombian military leader and politician who served as President of Colombia from 1853 to 1854. He played a crucial role in the country's independence movement and the subsequent civil wars and political conflicts of the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obando
Among Census respondents with the surname Obando, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Obando 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 Obando surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.2% · 2,987
- White5.5% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 107
- Black or African American0.6% · 21
- Two or more races0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Obando
Obando 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
#9,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,404
+1,004 bearers (+41.8%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 2,392 places
2020
#9,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,311
-93 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,943 | 2,400 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,551 | 3,404 | 1.15 | +1,004 bearers (+41.8%) | Up 2,392 places |
| 2020 | #9,415 | 3,311 | 1.11 | -93 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 136 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 Obando 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 | #9,551 | #9,415 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,404 | 3,311 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.11 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Obando bearers went from 3,404 to 3,311 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,551 to #9,415.
FAQ
Obando surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Obando?
Name Census estimates that about 3,797 living Americans carry the surname Obando. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,270 residents.
How common is Obando?
Obando ranks #9,415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,311 people with the surname Obando. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,797), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Obando.
Has Obando become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Obando went from 3,404 recorded bearers to 3,311. That is a decrease of 93 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,551 to #9,415.
What does the Census say about the background of Obando?
Among Census respondents with the surname Obando, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Obando in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,987 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Obando appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.2%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Obando (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 Obando mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from the town of Obando, Spain. 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 Obando (1.11 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 last name Obando?
See how many people are called Obando on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.