2000
#5,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,658
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Pizarro
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the tower" or "the fortress" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,795 Americans carry the last name Pizarro. That puts it at #4,489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,971 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pizarro 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
8.8K
1 in 38,971
Census rank
#4,489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,670 bearers of the surname Pizarro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizarro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pizarro
The surname Pizarro originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "pizarra," which means "slate" or "slate stone." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with slate, such as a slate miner or roofer.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pizarro can be found in various Spanish documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a record of land distribution in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian kings in 1248. The name Pizarro appears in this document, indicating that individuals with this surname were present in the region at that time.
One of the most famous bearers of the Pizarro surname was Francisco Pizarro (c. 1478-1541), a Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire in modern-day Peru. His conquest of the Inca Empire and subsequent exploitation of its resources played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of South America.
Another notable figure with the Pizarro surname was Hernando Pizarro (c. 1508-1578), the younger half-brother of Francisco Pizarro. Hernando accompanied his brother on the conquest of Peru and served as a military leader and administrator in the Spanish colonial government.
In the 16th century, Juan Pizarro (c. 1511-1536), a cousin of Francisco Pizarro, also played a role in the conquest of Peru. He participated in several battles against the Inca forces and was eventually killed during an indigenous uprising.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Pizarro name became associated with various place names in the regions conquered by the Pizarro brothers. For example, the city of Trujillo in Peru was founded by Francisco Pizarro and initially named after his birthplace in Spain.
Throughout the centuries, the Pizarro surname has continued to be present in various parts of Spain, as well as in Spanish-speaking regions of Latin America, particularly in Peru, where the legacy of the Pizarro family's conquests remains significant.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pizarro
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizarro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pizarro 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 Pizarro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.9% · 6,435
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.3% · 485
- White6.3% · 480
- Black or African American2.5% · 188
- Two or more races0.8% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pizarro
Pizarro 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
#4,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,446
+1,788 bearers (+31.6%)
Per 100,000 2.52
Rank movement Up 872 places
2020
#4,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,670
+224 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Up 266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,627 | 5,658 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,755 | 7,446 | 2.52 | +1,788 bearers (+31.6%) | Up 872 places |
| 2020 | #4,489 | 7,670 | 2.57 | +224 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 266 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 Pizarro 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 | #4,755 | #4,489 | 5.6% |
| Count | 7,446 | 7,670 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.52 | 2.57 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pizarro bearers went from 7,446 to 7,670 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 266 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,755 to #4,489.
FAQ
Pizarro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pizarro?
Name Census estimates that about 8,795 living Americans carry the surname Pizarro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,971 residents.
How common is Pizarro?
Pizarro ranks #4,489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,670 people with the surname Pizarro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,795), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pizarro.
Has Pizarro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pizarro went from 7,446 recorded bearers to 7,670. That is an increase of 224 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,755 to #4,489.
What does the Census say about the background of Pizarro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizarro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%) and White (6.3%). 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 Pizarro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (6,435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pizarro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.3%), White (6.3%). 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 Pizarro (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 Pizarro mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the tower" or "the fortress" in Spanish. 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 Pizarro (2.57 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 have the last name Pizarro?
Find out how many people have the last name Pizarro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.