2000
#89,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Postigo
A Spanish surname derived from the Spanish word for small door or window.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 271 Americans carry the last name Postigo. That puts it at #85,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,264,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Postigo 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
271
1 in 1,264,776
Census rank
#85,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
236
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 236 bearers of the surname Postigo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Postigo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Postigo
The surname Postigo originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "postigo," which means a small door or gate, often found in fortified walls or castles. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a small gate or entrance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Postigo can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. The document mentions several individuals with the surname Postigo residing in various towns and villages across the northern regions of Spain.
The surname Postigo is also mentioned in the Archivo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid, a collection of historical records from the Royal Chancery Court of Valladolid. These records date back to the 15th and 16th centuries and contain references to legal disputes, property transactions, and other matters involving individuals with the surname Postigo.
One notable individual with the surname Postigo was Diego Postigo, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. Diego Postigo was born around 1490 in Seville, Spain, and accompanied Cortés on his expedition to the Americas in 1519.
Another prominent figure with the surname Postigo was Juan Postigo, a Spanish playwright and poet who lived in the 16th century. Juan Postigo was born in Toledo, Spain, around 1530 and is best known for his comedies and religious poetry, which were popular during the Spanish Golden Age.
In the 17th century, Pedro Postigo was a notable Spanish architect and master builder who worked on several significant projects, including the construction of the Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid, one of the city's iconic monuments.
The surname Postigo can also be found in historical records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru, where Spanish settlers and conquistadors established new communities and left their mark on the local population.
While the name Postigo is predominantly associated with Spain and its historical territories, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, evolving into various spelling variations and adaptations in different languages and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Postigo
Among Census respondents with the surname Postigo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Postigo 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 Postigo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.0% · 210
- White9.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Postigo
Postigo 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
#83,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 224
+32 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 5,715 places
2020
#85,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
+12 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,502 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,549 | 192 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #83,834 | 224 | 0.08 | +32 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 5,715 places |
| 2020 | #85,336 | 236 | 0.08 | +12 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 1,502 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 Postigo 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 | #83,834 | #85,336 | -1.8% |
| Count | 224 | 236 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Postigo bearers went from 224 to 236 (+5.4% change). The surname moved down 1,502 positions in the national ranking, going from #83,834 to #85,336.
FAQ
Postigo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Postigo?
Name Census estimates that about 271 living Americans carry the surname Postigo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,264,776 residents.
How common is Postigo?
Postigo ranks #85,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 236 people with the surname Postigo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Postigo.
Has Postigo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Postigo went from 224 recorded bearers to 236. That is an increase of 12 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #83,834 to #85,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Postigo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Postigo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Postigo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Postigo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.0%), White (9.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Postigo (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 Postigo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Spanish word for small door or window. 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 Postigo (0.08 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 Postigo?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Postigo, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.