2000
#4,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.71
Uncommon Last name
Pichardo
A Spanish surname derived from a nickname meaning "thrush," likely referring to someone with a beautiful singing voice.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,262 Americans carry the last name Pichardo. That puts it at #3,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pichardo 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
13K
1 in 25,845
Census rank
#3,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,565 bearers of the surname Pichardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pichardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pichardo
The surname Pichardo originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish words "pico" meaning "beak" or "peak" and "hardo" which means "bristly" or "prickly." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a prominent or sharp facial features, or possibly for someone who lived near a prominent peak or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pichardo surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Castile, where it appeared in various municipal records and land registries. The name was particularly prevalent in the towns and villages surrounding the city of Burgos, indicating that this may have been the area where the name originated.
In the 15th century, the Pichardo name appeared in historical documents related to the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands. Juan Pichardo, a nobleman from Seville, was among the conquistadors who accompanied Juan de Béthencourt in the conquest of the islands in the early 1400s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pichardo surname gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. Alonso Pichardo (1557-1638), a Spanish explorer and conquistador, was among the early settlers of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Mexico and Central America). He played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the region.
Another notable figure was Pedro Pichardo (1700-1776), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Havana, Cuba, from 1753 to 1761. He oversaw the construction of several fortifications and defensive structures in the city during his tenure.
In the 19th century, José Pichardo y Vinuesa (1789-1854), a Cuban philologist and author, made significant contributions to the study of the Spanish language. He is most renowned for his work "Diccionario Provincial de Voces Cubanas" (Provincial Dictionary of Cuban Voices), which documented and preserved the unique linguistic expressions and vocabulary of Cuba.
The Pichardo surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain and its former colonies. For example, Pichardo is a municipality in the province of Ávila, Spain, and there are several towns and villages bearing variations of the name, such as Pichardos and Pichardón, scattered across different regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pichardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Pichardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pichardo 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 Pichardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.0% · 10,984
- White3.7% · 423
- Black or African American0.7% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 23
- Two or more races0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pichardo
Pichardo 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
#3,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,572
+3,264 bearers (+44.7%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Up 1,087 places
2020
#3,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,565
+993 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 3.87
Rank movement Up 343 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,462 | 7,308 | 2.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,375 | 10,572 | 3.58 | +3,264 bearers (+44.7%) | Up 1,087 places |
| 2020 | #3,032 | 11,565 | 3.87 | +993 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 343 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 Pichardo 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 | #3,375 | #3,032 | 10.2% |
| Count | 10,572 | 11,565 | 9.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.58 | 3.87 | 8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pichardo bearers went from 10,572 to 11,565 (+9.4% change). The surname moved up 343 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,375 to #3,032.
FAQ
Pichardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pichardo?
Name Census estimates that about 13,262 living Americans carry the surname Pichardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,845 residents.
How common is Pichardo?
Pichardo ranks #3,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.87 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 11,565 people with the surname Pichardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.87 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 Pichardo.
Has Pichardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pichardo went from 10,572 recorded bearers to 11,565. That is an increase of 993 (+9.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,375 to #3,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Pichardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pichardo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Pichardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (10,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pichardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.0%), White (3.7%), Black (0.7%). 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 Pichardo (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 Pichardo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a nickname meaning "thrush," likely referring to someone with a beautiful singing voice. 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 Pichardo (3.87 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 Pichardo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.