2000
#14,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Olmeda
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Olmeda in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,577 Americans carry the last name Olmeda. That puts it at #13,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,005 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olmeda 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
2.6K
1 in 133,005
Census rank
#13,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,247 bearers of the surname Olmeda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olmeda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olmeda
The surname Olmeda has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "olmo," which means "elm tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an elm tree or a place where elm trees grew abundantly.
According to historical records, the earliest known bearer of the Olmeda surname was Pedro de Olmeda, who lived in the town of Olmeda de las Fuentes in the province of Madrid during the late 11th century. This town's name, which means "elm tree of the fountains," lends credence to the theory that the surname originated from a place name associated with elm trees.
In the 13th century, the Olmeda name appeared in several medieval manuscripts, including the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1342. This document mentioned individuals with the Olmeda surname, indicating their involvement in royal hunting parties during that era.
One notable figure bearing the Olmeda name was Fray Juan de Olmeda, a Spanish Catholic friar and missionary who lived from 1465 to 1521. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and was one of the first Spanish Catholic missionaries to set foot in the New World.
Another prominent individual was Pedro de Olmeda y Andrade, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who was born in 1498 and died in 1575. He participated in the conquest of Guatemala and later became one of the first Spanish settlers in the region, establishing a settlement near the present-day city of Antigua.
In the 16th century, the Olmeda surname was also found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition. One notable case involved Catalina de Olmeda, who was accused of harboring Jewish conversos (converted Jews) in her home in Seville in 1562. This incident shed light on the persecution of religious minorities during that turbulent period in Spanish history.
As the centuries passed, the Olmeda name spread across different regions of Spain, with families bearing this surname establishing roots in various parts of the country. Some variations in the spelling, such as Olmedo and Olmedilla, also emerged over time, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olmeda
Among Census respondents with the surname Olmeda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Olmeda 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 Olmeda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.2% · 2,027
- White6.6% · 149
- Black or African American1.6% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Two or more races0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olmeda
Olmeda 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
#13,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,298
+443 bearers (+23.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 1,422 places
2020
#13,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,247
-51 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 221 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,693 | 1,855 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,271 | 2,298 | 0.78 | +443 bearers (+23.9%) | Up 1,422 places |
| 2020 | #13,050 | 2,247 | 0.75 | -51 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 221 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 Olmeda 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 | #13,271 | #13,050 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,298 | 2,247 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.75 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olmeda bearers went from 2,298 to 2,247 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 221 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,271 to #13,050.
FAQ
Olmeda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olmeda?
Name Census estimates that about 2,577 living Americans carry the surname Olmeda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,005 residents.
How common is Olmeda?
Olmeda ranks #13,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,247 people with the surname Olmeda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Olmeda.
Has Olmeda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olmeda went from 2,298 recorded bearers to 2,247. That is a decrease of 51 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,271 to #13,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Olmeda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olmeda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (1.6%). 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 Olmeda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olmeda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.2%), White (6.6%), Black (1.6%). 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 Olmeda (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 Olmeda mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Olmeda in 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 Olmeda (0.75 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 Olmeda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.