2000
#5,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Palomo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "palomo," meaning "dove" or "pigeon," likely referring to a dove keeper or breeder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,340 Americans carry the last name Palomo. That puts it at #4,721 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palomo 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
8.3K
1 in 41,098
Census rank
#4,721
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,273 bearers of the surname Palomo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4721st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palomo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palomo
The surname Palomo is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "palomo" which means "dove" or "pigeon". It first appeared in the regions of Castile and Andalusia in Spain during the 12th and 13th centuries.
The name likely originated as a nickname or an occupational name for someone who bred or traded pigeons. In medieval Spain, pigeons were a valuable commodity and played an important role in communication and as a source of food.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Palomo can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that documented landholdings and taxation in the Kingdom of Castile. The document includes references to individuals with the surname Palomo in various villages and towns.
In the 15th century, the surname Palomo was associated with several notable individuals. Juan Palomo was a prominent merchant and banker in Seville, born around 1420. He financed several expeditions to the Americas and was granted land and titles by the Spanish Crown.
Another early bearer of the name was Pedro Palomo, a 16th-century architect and stonemason from Toledo. He is credited with the design and construction of several churches and monasteries in the region, including the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes.
In the 17th century, Diego Palomo y Velasco (1594-1670) was a Spanish military commander and nobleman who served as the Governor of Panama and later as the Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico).
The surname Palomo has also been connected to various place names in Spain, such as Palomo de Arriba and Palomo de Abajo, both villages in the province of Segovia. These names likely derived from the surname itself and may have been named after early settlers or landowners with the Palomo name.
Other notable individuals with the surname Palomo include Enrique Palomo Aguado (1900-1974), a Spanish filmmaker and screenwriter, and José Palomo Pérez (1887-1964), a Spanish painter known for his portraits and religious works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palomo
Among Census respondents with the surname Palomo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Palomo 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 Palomo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.9% · 6,247
- White7.5% · 542
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 366
- Two or more races1.0% · 74
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palomo
Palomo 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
#4,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,478
+1,773 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Up 842 places
2020
#4,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,273
-205 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,583 | 5,705 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,741 | 7,478 | 2.54 | +1,773 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 842 places |
| 2020 | #4,721 | 7,273 | 2.43 | -205 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 20 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 Palomo 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 | #4,741 | #4,721 | 0.4% |
| Count | 7,478 | 7,273 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.43 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palomo bearers went from 7,478 to 7,273 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,741 to #4,721.
FAQ
Palomo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palomo?
Name Census estimates that about 8,340 living Americans carry the surname Palomo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,098 residents.
How common is Palomo?
Palomo ranks #4,721 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.43 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 7,273 people with the surname Palomo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.43 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 Palomo.
Has Palomo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palomo went from 7,478 recorded bearers to 7,273. That is a decrease of 205 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,741 to #4,721.
What does the Census say about the background of Palomo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palomo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%). 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 Palomo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (6,247 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palomo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.9%), White (7.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%). 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 Palomo (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 Palomo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "palomo," meaning "dove" or "pigeon," likely referring to a dove keeper or breeder. 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 Palomo (2.43 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 Palomo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.