2000
#17,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,506
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Patron
A patronymic surname derived from a given name or nickname of an ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,384 Americans carry the last name Patron. That puts it at #13,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patron 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
2.4K
1 in 143,773
Census rank
#13,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,079 bearers of the surname Patron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patron, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patron
The surname Patron is of Spanish origin, believed to have emerged in the medieval period between the 9th and 15th centuries. It is derived from the Latin word "patronus," which translates to "protector" or "master." The name likely originated in areas of Spain where Spanish was the predominant language, such as Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Patron surname can be found in the "Catastro de Ensenada," a detailed census conducted in Spain between 1749 and 1756. This document showcases the prevalence of the name in various regions of Spain during that time period.
The Patron surname has been associated with several notable historical figures over the centuries. One such individual was Juan Patron y Navarrete (1663-1728), a Spanish soldier and explorer who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the Americas. He served as the governor of Río de la Plata (modern-day Argentina and Uruguay) from 1721 to 1724.
Another prominent figure bearing the Patron surname was Pedro Patron de Ayala (1504-1569), a Spanish lawyer and writer who served as a judge in the "Real Audiencia de Quito" (Royal Court of Quito) in present-day Ecuador. His works, including "Crónicas de la Real Audiencia de Quito," provide valuable insights into the legal and administrative practices of the Spanish colonial era.
In the realm of literature, the Patron surname is represented by Jacinto Patron y Candela (1829-1903), a Spanish poet and playwright from Seville. His works, such as "Poesías Completas" and "El Matarife," reflect the cultural and social landscapes of 19th-century Spain.
Another notable individual with the Patron surname was Pedro Patron Bermudez (1832-1910), a Venezuelan military officer and politician who served as the President of Venezuela from 1892 to 1893.
The Patron surname can also be traced back to various place names in Spain, such as Patrón de Arriba and Patrón de Abajo, both located in the province of Huelva. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
While the Patron surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other regions of the world, particularly in areas with significant Spanish influence or migration. However, the earliest and most significant historical records of the name can be found within the Iberian Peninsula, reflecting its rich cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patron
Among Census respondents with the surname Patron, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Patron 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 Patron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.5% · 1,300
- White19.2% · 400
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 177
- Black or African American6.7% · 140
- Two or more races2.7% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patron
Patron 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
#16,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,754
+248 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 897 places
2020
#13,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
+325 bearers (+18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 2,511 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,304 | 1,506 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,407 | 1,754 | 0.59 | +248 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 897 places |
| 2020 | #13,896 | 2,079 | 0.70 | +325 bearers (+18.5%) | Up 2,511 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 Patron 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 | #16,407 | #13,896 | 15.3% |
| Count | 1,754 | 2,079 | 18.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.70 | 17.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patron bearers went from 1,754 to 2,079 (+18.5% change). The surname moved up 2,511 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,407 to #13,896.
FAQ
Patron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patron?
Name Census estimates that about 2,384 living Americans carry the surname Patron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,773 residents.
How common is Patron?
Patron ranks #13,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,079 people with the surname Patron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Patron.
Has Patron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patron went from 1,754 recorded bearers to 2,079. That is an increase of 325 (+18.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,407 to #13,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Patron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patron, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%). 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 Patron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.5% (1,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.5%), White (19.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%). 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 Patron (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 Patron mean?
A patronymic surname derived from a given name or nickname of an ancestor. 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 Patron (0.70 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 Patron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.