2000
#3,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,828
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.27
Uncommon Last name
Pedraza
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Pedraza, meaning "stony place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,907 Americans carry the last name Pedraza. That puts it at #2,893 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pedraza 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
14K
1 in 24,646
Census rank
#2,893
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,128 bearers of the surname Pedraza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2893rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedraza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pedraza
The surname Pedraza has its origins in Spain, deriving from the Spanish word "piedra" meaning "stone" or "rock." It likely originated as a locative name, indicating someone who hailed from a place called Pedraza. The earliest known records of the name date back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, where the town of Pedraza de la Sierra is located.
During the medieval period, the name Pedraza appears in various historical documents and manuscripts, particularly those related to land ownership and noble lineages. One notable example is Pedro Pedraza, a Spanish soldier and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pedraza surname became more widespread across Spain, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Pedro Pedraza Cabrera, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived from 1551 to 1616 and was known for his religious artwork.
As Spanish explorers and settlers ventured to the Americas, the Pedraza surname was carried to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances is Juan Pedraza, a Spanish conquistador who arrived in present-day Mexico in the early 1500s and participated in the conquest of Yucatán.
Another prominent figure with the Pedraza surname was Francisca de Pedraza, a Spanish noblewoman who lived from 1554 to 1636. She was a benefactor of the Catholic Church and funded the construction of several churches and convents in Spain.
In the 18th century, Francisco Pedraza y Guerrero (1778-1851) was a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the President of Mexico from 1833 to 1834. He played a significant role in the struggle for Mexican independence and the formation of the nation.
Over time, the Pedraza surname has spread to various parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America and the United States, where it continues to be a prominent Hispanic surname. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula, where it originated as a locative name associated with the town of Pedraza de la Sierra.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pedraza
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedraza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pedraza 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 Pedraza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.7% · 11,362
- White4.8% · 587
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 61
- Black or African American0.5% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 40
- Two or more races0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pedraza
Pedraza 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
#2,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,748
+3,920 bearers (+44.4%)
Per 100,000 4.32
Rank movement Up 863 places
2020
#2,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,128
-620 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,692 | 8,828 | 3.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,829 | 12,748 | 4.32 | +3,920 bearers (+44.4%) | Up 863 places |
| 2020 | #2,893 | 12,128 | 4.06 | -620 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 64 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 Pedraza 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 | #2,829 | #2,893 | -2.3% |
| Count | 12,748 | 12,128 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.32 | 4.06 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pedraza bearers went from 12,748 to 12,128 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,829 to #2,893.
FAQ
Pedraza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pedraza?
Name Census estimates that about 13,907 living Americans carry the surname Pedraza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,646 residents.
How common is Pedraza?
Pedraza ranks #2,893 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.06 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 12,128 people with the surname Pedraza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,907), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.06 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 Pedraza.
Has Pedraza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pedraza went from 12,748 recorded bearers to 12,128. That is a decrease of 620 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,829 to #2,893.
What does the Census say about the background of Pedraza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedraza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Pedraza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (11,362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pedraza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.7%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Pedraza (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 Pedraza mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Pedraza, meaning "stony place." 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 Pedraza (4.06 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 Pedraza?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Pedraza on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.