2000
#22,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Ovalles
A topographic name referring to a person from Ovalles or a place with oval shapes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,305 Americans carry the last name Ovalles. That puts it at #14,322 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,700 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ovalles 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
2.3K
1 in 148,700
Census rank
#14,322
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,010 bearers of the surname Ovalles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14322nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovalles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ovalles
The surname Ovalles is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 15th century in the region of Asturias, located in northern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "oval," which means "oval-shaped," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person living near an oval-shaped geographical feature or a place with an oval shape in its name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ovalles can be found in the Libro de la Armada, a historical manuscript from the late 15th century that documented Spanish naval activities during the reign of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. The name appears in this document in reference to a sailor or navigator who participated in the early Spanish expeditions to the Americas.
In the 16th century, the surname Ovalles was also present in various historical records from the region of Asturias, including parish registers and land records. One notable individual bearing this name was Juan Ovalles, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Oviedo, Asturias, during the late 1500s.
As the Spanish Empire expanded in the Americas, the name Ovalles began to appear in various colonial records from the 17th and 18th centuries. For instance, Pedro de Ovalles was a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the early 1600s. Another prominent figure was Fray Juan de Ovalles, a Dominican friar and historian who authored the book "Historia Relación del Reino de Chile" in 1646, providing a valuable account of the early colonial period in Chile.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Ovalles was José Toribio Ovalles y Camacho (1797-1870), a Venezuelan military leader and politician who served as President of Venezuela from 1865 to 1866. Additionally, Juan Ovalles (1832-1905) was a Venezuelan poet and writer who is considered one of the pioneers of modernist poetry in Latin America.
Another significant figure was María Ovalles (1850-1932), a Venezuelan educator and women's rights activist who founded several schools and fought for the advancement of women's education in her country. She is recognized as a pioneering figure in the women's rights movement in Venezuela.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Ovalles throughout history, highlighting its Spanish roots and its presence in various regions, particularly in Latin America, where it has continued to be a surname of significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ovalles
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovalles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ovalles 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 Ovalles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.5% · 1,839
- White3.7% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 69
- Black or African American1.1% · 23
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ovalles
Ovalles 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
#17,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,561
+499 bearers (+47.0%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 4,680 places
2020
#14,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,010
+449 bearers (+28.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 3,589 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,591 | 1,062 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,911 | 1,561 | 0.53 | +499 bearers (+47.0%) | Up 4,680 places |
| 2020 | #14,322 | 2,010 | 0.67 | +449 bearers (+28.8%) | Up 3,589 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 Ovalles 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 | #17,911 | #14,322 | 20.0% |
| Count | 1,561 | 2,010 | 28.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.67 | 26.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ovalles bearers went from 1,561 to 2,010 (+28.8% change). The surname moved up 3,589 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,911 to #14,322.
FAQ
Ovalles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ovalles?
Name Census estimates that about 2,305 living Americans carry the surname Ovalles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,700 residents.
How common is Ovalles?
Ovalles ranks #14,322 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,010 people with the surname Ovalles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,305), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Ovalles.
Has Ovalles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ovalles went from 1,561 recorded bearers to 2,010. That is an increase of 449 (+28.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,911 to #14,322.
What does the Census say about the background of Ovalles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovalles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Ovalles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ovalles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.5%), White (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Ovalles (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 Ovalles mean?
A topographic name referring to a person from Ovalles or a place with oval shapes. 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 Ovalles (0.67 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 Ovalles?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.