2000
#14,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,830
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Pozo
A Spanish topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a well or water hole.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,064 Americans carry the last name Pozo. That puts it at #11,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pozo 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
3.1K
1 in 111,865
Census rank
#11,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,672 bearers of the surname Pozo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pozo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pozo
The surname Pozo originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "pozo," which means "well" or "pit." This term likely referred to someone who lived near a well or pit, or who worked in a profession related to wells or mining.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Pozo can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a record of land distribution in Seville following the Christian conquest in 1248.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname Pozo spread throughout Spain and its territories, including the Americas, as a result of the Spanish colonization and exploration efforts. In the New World, the name was often associated with early settlers and conquistadors.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Pozo was Juan Pozo, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. Another notable figure was Alonso del Pozo, a Spanish painter active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, known for his religious works in Seville.
In the 17th century, the surname Pozo appeared in various documents and records across Spain and its colonies. For example, Diego Pozo was a Spanish playwright and poet from Madrid, born around 1610, who wrote comedies and religious plays.
As the centuries passed, the surname Pozo continued to be prevalent throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In the 19th century, José del Pozo y Sucre was a prominent Ecuadorian politician and statesman who served as President of Ecuador from 1859 to 1861.
Another notable bearer of the Pozo surname was Rodrigo Pozo, a Chilean author and journalist born in 1920, known for his works exploring social and political themes in Latin America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pozo
Among Census respondents with the surname Pozo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pozo 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 Pozo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.7% · 2,451
- White7.0% · 187
- Black or African American0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pozo
Pozo 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
#12,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,482
+652 bearers (+35.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 2,358 places
2020
#11,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,672
+190 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 1,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,849 | 1,830 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,491 | 2,482 | 0.84 | +652 bearers (+35.6%) | Up 2,358 places |
| 2020 | #11,300 | 2,672 | 0.89 | +190 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 1,191 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 Pozo 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 | #12,491 | #11,300 | 9.5% |
| Count | 2,482 | 2,672 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.89 | 6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pozo bearers went from 2,482 to 2,672 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 1,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,491 to #11,300.
FAQ
Pozo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pozo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,064 living Americans carry the surname Pozo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,865 residents.
How common is Pozo?
Pozo ranks #11,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,672 people with the surname Pozo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,064), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Pozo.
Has Pozo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pozo went from 2,482 recorded bearers to 2,672. That is an increase of 190 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,491 to #11,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Pozo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pozo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) 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 Pozo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,451 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pozo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.7%), White (7.0%), 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 Pozo (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 Pozo mean?
A Spanish topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a well or water hole. 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 Pozo (0.89 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 share the surname Pozo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.