2000
#9,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Pasillas
A Spanish surname derived from the word "pasilla," referring to a type of chili pepper or a dark raisin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,558 Americans carry the last name Pasillas. That puts it at #7,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,198 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pasillas 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
4.6K
1 in 75,198
Census rank
#7,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,975 bearers of the surname Pasillas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pasillas
The surname Pasillas is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Spanish word "pasilla," which refers to a type of small, dried chili pepper. This name likely originated in the regions of Spain where these chili peppers were cultivated or where individuals with connections to the chili pepper trade resided.
Historically, the surname Pasillas can be traced back to the late 15th century, during the height of the Spanish Inquisition. Records from this period indicate that a family bearing the name Pasillas resided in the city of Seville, which was a major trading hub for spices and agricultural products at the time.
One of the earliest documented references to the Pasillas surname can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a manuscript detailing the distribution of land and property in Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This document mentions a certain "Juan Pasillas," who was granted a parcel of land in recognition of his military service.
In the 16th century, the Pasillas surname gained prominence with the exploration and colonization of the Americas by Spanish conquistadors. Notable individuals from this period include Hernán Pasillas, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico.
During the colonial era, the Pasillas surname spread throughout the Spanish territories in the Americas, particularly in regions where the cultivation of chili peppers and other spices was prevalent. One notable figure from this time was Francisca Pasillas, a landowner and businesswoman in the Spanish colony of New Mexico in the late 17th century.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Pasillas surname also found its way to other parts of the world, including the Philippines, where Spanish colonization took place in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1786, a Spanish military officer named Juan Pasillas was appointed as the governor of the Philippines, serving in that capacity until 1788.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, individuals bearing the Pasillas surname continued to make their mark in various fields. Notably, Emilio Pasillas was a renowned Mexican painter and muralist who was active in the early 20th century, known for his vibrant depictions of Mexican culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pasillas
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pasillas 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 Pasillas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 3,769
- White3.8% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
- Two or more races0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pasillas
Pasillas 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
#7,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,201
+1,050 bearers (+33.3%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 1,591 places
2020
#7,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,975
-226 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,467 | 3,151 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,876 | 4,201 | 1.42 | +1,050 bearers (+33.3%) | Up 1,591 places |
| 2020 | #7,993 | 3,975 | 1.33 | -226 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 117 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 Pasillas 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 | #7,876 | #7,993 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,201 | 3,975 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.33 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pasillas bearers went from 4,201 to 3,975 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,876 to #7,993.
FAQ
Pasillas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pasillas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,558 living Americans carry the surname Pasillas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,198 residents.
How common is Pasillas?
Pasillas ranks #7,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,975 people with the surname Pasillas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Pasillas.
Has Pasillas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pasillas went from 4,201 recorded bearers to 3,975. That is a decrease of 226 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,876 to #7,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Pasillas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pasillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Pasillas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (3,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pasillas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (3.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Pasillas (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 Pasillas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "pasilla," referring to a type of chili pepper or a dark raisin. 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 Pasillas (1.33 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 common is the surname Pasillas?
See how common the surname Pasillas is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.