2000
#1,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,231
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.21
Uncommon Last name
Palacios
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a palace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,174 Americans carry the last name Palacios. That puts it at #760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palacios 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Palacios with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
51K
1 in 6,698
Census rank
#760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 44,626 bearers of the surname Palacios in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palacios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palacios
The surname Palacios has its origins in Spain and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "palacio," which means "palace" or "mansion." The name was likely given to individuals who lived near or worked in a palace or grand residence.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Palacios appears in the Cartulario de Eslonza, a medieval manuscript from the Kingdom of León, which mentions a person named Domingo Palacios in the year 1190.
In the 13th century, the surname Palacios is found in various regions of Spain, including Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. For instance, a certain Pedro de Palacios is mentioned in a document from the city of Burgos, dated 1254.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Palacios surname gained prominence in several Spanish cities and towns, such as Seville, Granada, and Toledo. Some notable individuals from this period include Juan de Palacios, a medieval scholar and translator who lived in the 15th century, and Diego de Palacios, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the 16th century, the Palacios surname spread to the Americas as a result of Spanish colonization. One of the earliest recorded examples is Hernando de Palacios, who settled in Peru in the 1530s and became a prominent landowner and encomendero (holder of an encomienda grant).
Over the centuries, the surname Palacios has been associated with various notable figures, such as Manuel Palacios Villegas (1831-1920), a Chilean politician and diplomat, and Miguel Palacios Carvajal (1863-1960), a Mexican artist and illustrator.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Palacios include Leopoldo Palacios (1828-1920), a Venezuelan military leader and politician; Luisa Palacios (1853-1925), a Spanish writer and feminist; and Leopoldo Palacios Morini (1876-1961), an Argentine architect and urban planner.
The surname Palacios has also been found in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, where it has been carried by notable figures like Jesús Palacios Gámiz (1914-1997), a Mexican painter and muralist, and Mateo Palacios Montalva (1804-1877), a Chilean military officer and politician.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palacios
Among Census respondents with the surname Palacios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Palacios 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 Palacios surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.2% · 41,575
- White4.6% · 2,073
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 520
- Black or African American0.6% · 248
- Two or more races0.3% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palacios
Palacios 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
#789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,798
+13,567 bearers (+44.9%)
Per 100,000 14.85
Rank movement Up 268 places
2020
#760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,626
+828 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 14.93
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,057 | 30,231 | 11.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #789 | 43,798 | 14.85 | +13,567 bearers (+44.9%) | Up 268 places |
| 2020 | #760 | 44,626 | 14.93 | +828 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 29 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 Palacios 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 | #789 | #760 | 3.7% |
| Count | 43,798 | 44,626 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 14.85 | 14.93 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palacios bearers went from 43,798 to 44,626 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #789 to #760.
FAQ
Palacios surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palacios?
Name Census estimates that about 51,174 living Americans carry the surname Palacios. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,698 residents.
How common is Palacios?
Palacios ranks #760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.93 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 44,626 people with the surname Palacios. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.93 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 Palacios.
Has Palacios become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palacios went from 43,798 recorded bearers to 44,626. That is an increase of 828 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #789 to #760.
What does the Census say about the background of Palacios?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palacios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Palacios in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (41,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palacios appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.2%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Palacios (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 Palacios mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a palace. 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 Palacios (14.93 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 Palacios?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.