2000
#13,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Posadas
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places in Spain named Posadas, meaning "inns" or "lodgings."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,339 Americans carry the last name Posadas. That puts it at #8,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,994 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Posadas 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
4.3K
1 in 78,994
Census rank
#8,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,784 bearers of the surname Posadas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Posadas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.8%) and White (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Posadas
The surname Posadas is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "posada" which means "inn" or "lodging" in Spanish. It likely originated during the medieval period in Spain, possibly referring to an ancestor who owned or worked at an inn.
The name Posadas can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, such as Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. It is believed to have originated from the Latin word "pausata," meaning "a place to pause or rest."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Posadas can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from 1253 that recorded the distribution of land and property in Seville after the Christian conquest of the city from the Moors.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Pedro de Posadas (born around 1420) was a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He is mentioned in Bernal Díaz del Castillo's "Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España" (True History of the Conquest of New Spain).
Another notable individual with the surname Posadas was Juan Posadas (1597-1653), a Spanish painter who was active in Seville during the Golden Age of Spanish art. His works can be found in various churches and museums in Spain.
In the 18th century, José Posadas (1720-1790) was a Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in Córdoba and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.
Towards the end of the 19th century, José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) was a Mexican artist and printmaker renowned for his satirical and socially critical works, particularly his calaveras (skulls) and illustrations of the Mexican Revolution.
The surname Posadas has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Posadas (a municipality in Córdoba), Posadas de Valverde (a town in Zamora), and Posadas de García Rodríguez (a village in Toledo).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Posadas
Among Census respondents with the surname Posadas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.8%) and White (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Posadas 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 Posadas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino76.6% · 2,900
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.8% · 634
- White5.0% · 189
- Two or more races1.4% · 53
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Posadas
Posadas 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
#9,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,554
+1,455 bearers (+69.3%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 4,142 places
2020
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,784
+230 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 800 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,319 | 2,099 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,177 | 3,554 | 1.20 | +1,455 bearers (+69.3%) | Up 4,142 places |
| 2020 | #8,377 | 3,784 | 1.27 | +230 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 800 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 Posadas 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 | #9,177 | #8,377 | 8.7% |
| Count | 3,554 | 3,784 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.27 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Posadas bearers went from 3,554 to 3,784 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 800 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,177 to #8,377.
FAQ
Posadas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Posadas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,339 living Americans carry the surname Posadas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,994 residents.
How common is Posadas?
Posadas ranks #8,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,784 people with the surname Posadas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,339), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Posadas.
Has Posadas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Posadas went from 3,554 recorded bearers to 3,784. That is an increase of 230 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,177 to #8,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Posadas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Posadas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.8%) and White (5.0%). 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 Posadas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (2,900 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Posadas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (76.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.8%), White (5.0%). 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 Posadas (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 Posadas mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places in Spain named Posadas, meaning "inns" or "lodgings." 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 Posadas (1.27 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 Posadas?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Posadas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.