2000
#8,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Piedra
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a stone, rock, or boulder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,637 Americans carry the last name Piedra. That puts it at #6,609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piedra 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
5.6K
1 in 60,804
Census rank
#6,609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,916 bearers of the surname Piedra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piedra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piedra
The surname Piedra originates from Spain and has its roots in the Spanish language. The name is derived from the Spanish word "piedra," which means "stone" or "rock." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or worked with stones, such as a stonemason or quarryman.
The earliest recorded instances of the Piedra surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia, Aragon, and Castile. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pedro de la Piedra, a nobleman from Aragon who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Piedra surname appeared in historical records related to the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle between Christian kingdoms and the Moorish rulers of the Iberian Peninsula. Juan Piedra, a soldier from Catalonia, was mentioned in chronicles for his bravery in battles against the Moors.
During the 15th century, the Piedra family established itself in the town of Piedrabuena, located in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha. The town's name, which translates to "good stone," likely refers to the presence of high-quality stone quarries in the area, further strengthening the connection between the Piedra surname and the stone industry.
One notable bearer of the Piedra surname was Antonio de Piedra (1575-1641), a Spanish painter and architect from Seville. He was known for his contributions to the Baroque style and his work on several important churches and palaces in Seville and other parts of Andalusia.
Another prominent figure with the Piedra surname was Fray Domingo de Piedra (1598-1673), a Spanish Catholic priest and missionary who traveled to the Americas in the early 17th century. He played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in Mexico and is credited with establishing several missions and churches in the region.
In the 19th century, the Piedra surname gained recognition through the work of Juan Nepomuceno Piedra (1808-1868), a Cuban writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of Havana. He was known for his contributions to the development of Cuban literature and his advocacy for social reforms.
While the Piedra surname has its roots in Spain, over the centuries, it has spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the United States, through Spanish colonization and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piedra
Among Census respondents with the surname Piedra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Piedra 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 Piedra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.7% · 4,559
- White5.4% · 266
- Black or African American0.8% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
- Two or more races0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piedra
Piedra 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
#6,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,098
+1,580 bearers (+44.9%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 1,963 places
2020
#6,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,916
-182 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Up 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,607 | 3,518 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,644 | 5,098 | 1.73 | +1,580 bearers (+44.9%) | Up 1,963 places |
| 2020 | #6,609 | 4,916 | 1.64 | -182 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 35 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 Piedra 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 | #6,644 | #6,609 | 0.5% |
| Count | 5,098 | 4,916 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.64 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piedra bearers went from 5,098 to 4,916 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,644 to #6,609.
FAQ
Piedra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piedra?
Name Census estimates that about 5,637 living Americans carry the surname Piedra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,804 residents.
How common is Piedra?
Piedra ranks #6,609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,916 people with the surname Piedra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,637), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Piedra.
Has Piedra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piedra went from 5,098 recorded bearers to 4,916. That is a decrease of 182 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,644 to #6,609.
What does the Census say about the background of Piedra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piedra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Piedra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (4,559 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piedra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.7%), White (5.4%), Black (0.8%). 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 Piedra (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 Piedra mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a stone, rock, or boulder. 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 Piedra (1.64 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 common is the surname Piedra?
Find out how many people have the surname Piedra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.