2000
#82,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Pedraja
A Spanish surname likely referring to someone from the village of Pedraja.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 365 Americans carry the last name Pedraja. That puts it at #67,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 939,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pedraja 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
365
1 in 939,053
Census rank
#67,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
318
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 318 bearers of the surname Pedraja in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedraja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.4%) and White (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pedraja
The surname PEDRAJA has its origin in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "piedra," meaning stone or rock, and the suffix "-aja," which could indicate a place or location. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place known for its rocky terrain or associated with stony areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PEDRAJA surname can be found in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century that listed households and their economic obligations. This indicates that the surname was already in use during that era in parts of Spain.
The PEDRAJA name is closely linked to the town of Pedraja de Portillo, located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León region of Spain. It is likely that the surname originated from this specific location or nearby areas, as place names often formed the basis for many Spanish surnames.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Rodrigo de Pedraja, who was a Spanish soldier and explorer. He accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico and played a role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Another notable figure with the PEDRAJA surname was Pedro de Pedraja, a Spanish painter who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his religious paintings and worked extensively in the city of Seville and surrounding areas.
In the 18th century, Miguel de Pedraja was a Spanish military engineer who contributed to the construction of several fortifications and defensive structures in various parts of Spain and its colonies.
During the 19th century, Joaquín de Pedraja y Gómez was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Congress of Deputies, representing the province of Cuenca.
The PEDRAJA surname has also been associated with various locations and place names throughout Spain, such as Pedraja de la Sierra, Pedraja de San Esteban, and Pedraja de Campos, among others, indicating the widespread distribution of this surname across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pedraja
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedraja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.4%) and White (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pedraja 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 Pedraja surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.8% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.4% · 52
- White7.2% · 23
- Two or more races0.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pedraja
Pedraja 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
#76,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
+40 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 6,416 places
2020
#67,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
+66 bearers (+26.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 9,271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,691 | 212 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,275 | 252 | 0.09 | +40 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 6,416 places |
| 2020 | #67,004 | 318 | 0.11 | +66 bearers (+26.2%) | Up 9,271 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 Pedraja 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 | #76,275 | #67,004 | 12.2% |
| Count | 252 | 318 | 26.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pedraja bearers went from 252 to 318 (+26.2% change). The surname moved up 9,271 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,275 to #67,004.
FAQ
Pedraja surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pedraja?
Name Census estimates that about 365 living Americans carry the surname Pedraja. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 939,053 residents.
How common is Pedraja?
Pedraja ranks #67,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 318 people with the surname Pedraja. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pedraja.
Has Pedraja become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pedraja went from 252 recorded bearers to 318. That is an increase of 66 (+26.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #76,275 to #67,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Pedraja?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedraja, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.4%) and White (7.2%). 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 Pedraja in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pedraja appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.4%), White (7.2%). 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 Pedraja (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 Pedraja mean?
A Spanish surname likely referring to someone from the village of Pedraja. 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 Pedraja (0.11 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 are called Pedraja?
See how common the surname Pedraja is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.