2000
#6,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Palomares
A Spanish locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Palomares, meaning "dovecotes" or "pigeon houses."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,130 Americans carry the last name Palomares. That puts it at #5,416 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palomares 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
7.1K
1 in 48,072
Census rank
#5,416
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,218 bearers of the surname Palomares in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5416th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palomares, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%) and White (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palomares
The surname Palomares originated in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "paloma," meaning pigeon or dove. It likely emerged as a surname during the Middle Ages, referring to someone who lived near or worked with pigeons or doves.
One of the earliest known references to the name Palomares can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript detailing hunting preserves in Spain. The book mentions a place called "Palomares" in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, suggesting the name was already in use as a location name by that time.
In the 15th century, records from the Archivo General de Indias (General Archive of the Indies) in Seville mention several individuals with the surname Palomares who were involved in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. For example, Juan Palomares was a soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Palomares was Gonzalo Palomares, a Spanish nobleman born around 1450 in the town of Palomares del Campo, near Ciudad Real in Castilla-La Mancha. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile.
Another notable individual with the surname Palomares was Francisco Palomares (1535-1615), a Spanish calligrapher and writer who is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of the Spanish cursive handwriting style known as "letra bastarda."
In the 17th century, Diego Palomares y Velasco (1617-1677) was a Spanish painter and etcher who worked in Madrid and was known for his religious paintings and portraits of the Spanish nobility.
During the 19th century, Juan Palomares y Castilla (1818-1892) was a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor General of Cuba from 1885 to 1887.
Palomares is also a place name in Spain, with several towns and villages bearing the name, such as Palomares del Campo in Ciudad Real and Palomares del Río in Seville. These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname Palomares in various regions of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palomares
Among Census respondents with the surname Palomares, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%) and White (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Palomares 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 Palomares surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.4% · 5,621
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 273
- White4.3% · 265
- Two or more races0.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palomares
Palomares 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
#4,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,084
+2,267 bearers (+47.1%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Up 1,535 places
2020
#5,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,218
-866 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 452 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,499 | 4,817 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,964 | 7,084 | 2.40 | +2,267 bearers (+47.1%) | Up 1,535 places |
| 2020 | #5,416 | 6,218 | 2.08 | -866 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 452 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 Palomares 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 | #4,964 | #5,416 | -9.1% |
| Count | 7,084 | 6,218 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.40 | 2.08 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palomares bearers went from 7,084 to 6,218 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 452 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,964 to #5,416.
FAQ
Palomares surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palomares?
Name Census estimates that about 7,130 living Americans carry the surname Palomares. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,072 residents.
How common is Palomares?
Palomares ranks #5,416 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,218 people with the surname Palomares. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Palomares.
Has Palomares become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palomares went from 7,084 recorded bearers to 6,218. That is a decrease of 866 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,964 to #5,416.
What does the Census say about the background of Palomares?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palomares, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%) and White (4.3%). 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 Palomares in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (5,621 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palomares appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%), White (4.3%). 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 Palomares (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 Palomares mean?
A Spanish locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Palomares, meaning "dovecotes" or "pigeon houses." 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 Palomares (2.08 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 Americans have the surname Palomares?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.