2000
#3,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.28
Uncommon Last name
Pardo
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin "pardus," meaning leopard, likely referring to someone with a spotted complexion or hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,461 Americans carry the last name Pardo. That puts it at #3,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,506 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pardo 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 Pardo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,506
Census rank
#3,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,867 bearers of the surname Pardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pardo
The surname Pardo is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Spanish word "pardo" meaning "brown" or "gray." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with brown or grayish hair or complexion.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Pardo can be traced back to the 12th century in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the regions of Castile and Aragon. It is also found in the historical records of the Reconquista, the centuries-long period when Christian kingdoms fought to reclaim territories from the Moors.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Pardo was Pedro Pardo de la Casta, a Spanish nobleman born in 1185 in Seville. He was a prominent military leader during the Reconquista and played a significant role in the capture of Cordoba from the Moors in 1236.
In the 15th century, the surname Pardo gained prominence with the rise of the Pardo de la Vega family, who were influential noblemen and landowners in the region of Andalusia. One notable member was Alonso Pardo de la Vega, born in 1440 in Cordoba, who served as a diplomat and advisor to King Ferdinand II of Aragon.
The surname Pardo also has a connection to various place names in Spain, such as Pardos in the province of Lugo and Pardo in the province of Toledo. These place names likely derived from the same word "pardo" and may have influenced the surname's spread and usage.
During the era of Spanish colonization in the Americas, many individuals with the surname Pardo traveled to the New World and contributed to the settlement and development of various regions. One such individual was Diego Pardo, born in 1530 in Seville, who was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He led expeditions into present-day North Carolina and Virginia in the late 16th century.
Other notable bearers of the surname Pardo include:
1. María Pardo de Andrade (1633-1693), a Spanish poet and playwright from Galicia.
2. Juan Pardo de Neyra (1570-1639), a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile.
3. Pedro Pardo de Cela (1534-1618), a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Quito.
4. Juan Pardo de Tavera (1472-1545), a Spanish Cardinal and Grand Inquisitor during the Spanish Inquisition.
5. Francisco Pardo Bazán (1809-1899), a Spanish writer, historian, and politician from Galicia.
The surname Pardo continues to be widely used in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, reflecting its rich historical roots and the contributions of its bearers throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pardo 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 Pardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.9% · 8,464
- White17.8% · 1,932
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 208
- Black or African American1.3% · 145
- Two or more races0.9% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pardo
Pardo 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
#3,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,104
+2,257 bearers (+25.5%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Up 438 places
2020
#3,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,867
-237 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.64
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,687 | 8,847 | 3.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,249 | 11,104 | 3.76 | +2,257 bearers (+25.5%) | Up 438 places |
| 2020 | #3,240 | 10,867 | 3.64 | -237 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 9 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 Pardo 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 | #3,249 | #3,240 | 0.3% |
| Count | 11,104 | 10,867 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.76 | 3.64 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pardo bearers went from 11,104 to 10,867 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,249 to #3,240.
FAQ
Pardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pardo?
Name Census estimates that about 12,461 living Americans carry the surname Pardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,506 residents.
How common is Pardo?
Pardo ranks #3,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,867 people with the surname Pardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Pardo.
Has Pardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pardo went from 11,104 recorded bearers to 10,867. That is a decrease of 237 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,249 to #3,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Pardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.9%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Pardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (8,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.9%), White (17.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Pardo (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 Pardo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin "pardus," meaning leopard, likely referring to someone with a spotted complexion or hair. 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 Pardo (3.64 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 Pardo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.