2000
#20,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Poblete
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "settler" or "colonizer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,063 Americans carry the last name Poblete. That puts it at #15,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poblete 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
2.1K
1 in 166,144
Census rank
#15,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,799 bearers of the surname Poblete in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poblete, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.6%) and White (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poblete
The surname POBLETE is of Spanish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. This name is derived from the Spanish word "poblar," which means "to populate" or "to colonize." It likely referred to someone who established or settled in a new area or town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the POBLETE surname can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a 14th-century census document from the Kingdom of Castile. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the region of modern-day Spain.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the POBLETE name appears in various historical records and documents related to the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. It is possible that some individuals bearing this surname were among the early Spanish settlers who helped establish new towns and communities in the New World.
In terms of notable individuals with the POBLETE surname, one can mention Juan de Poblete, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the 16th century. Another example is Francisco de Poblete, a 17th-century Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Netherlands.
Moving forward in time, there was José María Poblete, a Chilean politician and lawyer who lived in the 19th century (1797-1880). He served as a member of the Chilean Congress and played a role in the country's political development during the early years of its independence.
Another notable figure was Manuel Poblete Troncoso, a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile in the early 20th century (1865-1938).
Finally, Carlos Poblete, a Chilean footballer who played as a striker and represented his country in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, is also worth mentioning (1925-2015). He was known for his goal-scoring prowess and is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Chilean football.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poblete
Among Census respondents with the surname Poblete, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.6%) and White (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Poblete 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 Poblete surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.0% · 1,044
- Hispanic or Latino31.6% · 569
- White5.5% · 99
- Two or more races4.5% · 81
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poblete
Poblete 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
#16,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,729
+502 bearers (+40.9%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 3,605 places
2020
#15,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,799
+70 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,191 | 1,227 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,586 | 1,729 | 0.59 | +502 bearers (+40.9%) | Up 3,605 places |
| 2020 | #15,631 | 1,799 | 0.60 | +70 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 955 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 Poblete 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 | #16,586 | #15,631 | 5.8% |
| Count | 1,729 | 1,799 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.60 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poblete bearers went from 1,729 to 1,799 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 955 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,586 to #15,631.
FAQ
Poblete surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poblete?
Name Census estimates that about 2,063 living Americans carry the surname Poblete. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,144 residents.
How common is Poblete?
Poblete ranks #15,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,799 people with the surname Poblete. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Poblete.
Has Poblete become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poblete went from 1,729 recorded bearers to 1,799. That is an increase of 70 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,586 to #15,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Poblete?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poblete, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.6%) and White (5.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Poblete in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.0% (1,044 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poblete appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.0%), Hispanic (31.6%), White (5.5%). 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 Poblete (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 Poblete mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "settler" or "colonizer." 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 Poblete (0.60 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 Poblete?
You can see how many people have the last name Poblete on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.