2000
#4,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.96
Uncommon Last name
Pedroza
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "rocky ground" or "stony place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,385 Americans carry the last name Pedroza. That puts it at #3,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,675 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pedroza 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
12K
1 in 27,675
Census rank
#3,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,800 bearers of the surname Pedroza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedroza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pedroza
The surname Pedroza originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish given name Pedro, which in turn comes from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." The suffix "-oza" indicates a patronymic, indicating a familial relation to an ancestor named Pedro.
Pedroza is believed to have first emerged in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the provinces of Burgos, Palencia, and Valladolid. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records, such as the Becerro de las Behetrias, a 14th-century census of landowners and vassals.
In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonial era, many individuals bearing the Pedroza surname migrated to the Americas, particularly to regions that are now part of Mexico and Central America. This diaspora contributed to the widespread distribution of the name across the Spanish-speaking world.
One notable individual with the surname Pedroza was Juan de Pedroza, a 16th-century Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born around 1490 in Medina del Campo, Spain, and died in the early 1550s in Mexico City.
Another historical figure was Pedro de Pedroza, a 17th-century Spanish military officer and governor of the Province of Costa Rica from 1636 to 1639. He played a significant role in the colonization and administration of the region during the Spanish colonial period.
In the 18th century, José Joaquín Pedroza y Salazar was a prominent Mexican Catholic priest and historian. Born in 1702 in Mexico City, he authored several works on the history of New Spain, including the "Crónica General de la Orden de Nuestra Señora de la Merced."
Manuel Pedroza, born in 1820 in Mexico, was a 19th-century Mexican military officer who fought in the Mexican-American War and the Reform War. He later served as the governor of the state of Zacatecas from 1873 to 1875.
In the 20th century, Marcial Pedroza Villareal was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the governor of the state of Guanajuato from 1949 to 1955. He was born in 1895 in Guanajuato and played a significant role in the development of the state's infrastructure and education system during his tenure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pedroza
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedroza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pedroza 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 Pedroza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 10,093
- White5.2% · 566
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 57
- Two or more races0.3% · 36
- Black or African American0.3% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pedroza
Pedroza 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
#3,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,918
+2,942 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 3.70
Rank movement Up 820 places
2020
#3,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,800
-118 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 3.61
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,117 | 7,976 | 2.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,297 | 10,918 | 3.70 | +2,942 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 820 places |
| 2020 | #3,265 | 10,800 | 3.61 | -118 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 32 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 Pedroza 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 | #3,297 | #3,265 | 1.0% |
| Count | 10,918 | 10,800 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.70 | 3.61 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pedroza bearers went from 10,918 to 10,800 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,297 to #3,265.
FAQ
Pedroza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pedroza?
Name Census estimates that about 12,385 living Americans carry the surname Pedroza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,675 residents.
How common is Pedroza?
Pedroza ranks #3,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.61 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 10,800 people with the surname Pedroza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.61 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 Pedroza.
Has Pedroza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pedroza went from 10,918 recorded bearers to 10,800. That is a decrease of 118 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,297 to #3,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Pedroza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pedroza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) 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 Pedroza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (10,093 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pedroza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (5.2%), 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 Pedroza (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 Pedroza mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "rocky ground" or "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 Pedroza (3.61 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 Pedroza?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Pedroza on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.