2000
#11,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,402
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Palos
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the numerous places named Palos in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,222 Americans carry the last name Palos. That puts it at #10,827 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palos 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
3.2K
1 in 106,379
Census rank
#10,827
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,810 bearers of the surname Palos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10827th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palos
The surname PALOS is believed to have originated in Spain, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "palo," which means "stick" or "pole." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with sticks or poles, such as a woodworker or a pole maker.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname PALOS can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions like Catalonia, Valencia, and Aragon. Some records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Palos, Palo, or Palos de Valencia.
One notable historical reference to the surname PALOS is in the context of the Spanish exploration of the Americas. Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor on Christopher Columbus's expedition in 1492, is sometimes referred to as Rodrigo de Triana Palos, suggesting a connection to the town of Palos de la Frontera in Huelva, Spain, where Columbus set sail.
In the 16th century, a prominent individual with the surname PALOS was Juan de Palos, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico in the 1520s.
Another notable figure from the same century was Bartolomé de Palos, a Spanish military commander who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines in the late 1500s.
Moving forward to the 17th century, we find Juan de Palos Saavedra, a Spanish playwright and poet who lived from around 1620 to 1670.
In the 18th century, José de Palos y Navarro was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1784 to 1787.
Lastly, in the 19th century, there was Emilio Palos Ruiz, a Spanish politician and lawyer who was born in 1843 and served as a member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palos
Among Census respondents with the surname Palos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Palos 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 Palos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.8% · 2,410
- White10.6% · 298
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 65
- Two or more races0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palos
Palos 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
#11,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,880
+478 bearers (+19.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 895 places
2020
#10,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
-70 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,935 | 2,402 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,040 | 2,880 | 0.98 | +478 bearers (+19.9%) | Up 895 places |
| 2020 | #10,827 | 2,810 | 0.94 | -70 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 213 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 Palos 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 | #11,040 | #10,827 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,880 | 2,810 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.94 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palos bearers went from 2,880 to 2,810 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,040 to #10,827.
FAQ
Palos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palos?
Name Census estimates that about 3,222 living Americans carry the surname Palos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,379 residents.
How common is Palos?
Palos ranks #10,827 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,810 people with the surname Palos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Palos.
Has Palos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palos went from 2,880 recorded bearers to 2,810. That is a decrease of 70 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,040 to #10,827.
What does the Census say about the background of Palos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Palos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (2,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.8%), White (10.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Palos (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 Palos mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone from any of the numerous places named Palos 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 Palos (0.94 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 last name Palos?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Palos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.