2000
#112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193,096
First available Census row
Per 100,000 71.58
Common Last name
Ramos
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near twigs, branches, or bouquets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 308,056 Americans carry the last name Ramos. That puts it at #74 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 89.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ramos 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ramos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
308K
1 in 1,113
Census rank
#74
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
89.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
269K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 268,640 bearers of the surname Ramos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 89.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 74th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ramos
The surname Ramos originated in Spain and Portugal, where it is believed to have been derived from the Spanish word "ramo," meaning a branch or bough. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent tree or stand of trees.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared with variations in spelling, such as Ramus and Ramo, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Martín Ramos, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
The Ramos surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Spain, where it was documented in the Cartulario de Corias, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of San Juan Bautista in Asturias. This indicates that the name had already become established in the region by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the Ramos family held land and titles in various parts of Spain, including Castile, Andalusia, and Galicia. Notable individuals with this surname include Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal (1490-1547), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico.
In Portugal, the Ramos surname can be traced back to the 14th century, with references to individuals such as João Ramos, a prominent nobleman and landowner in the region of Alentejo during the reign of King Afonso IV (1325-1357).
Other notable figures with the Ramos surname include:
1. Gonzalo Ramos (c. 1501-1558), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro.
2. Juan Ramos (c. 1590-1650), a Spanish architect known for his work on the Cathedral of Granada.
3. Francisco Ramos de Pareja (c. 1615-1670), a Spanish painter and one of the few known artists of African descent from the Spanish Golden Age.
4. José Ramos-Horta (born 1949), a East Timorese politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as President of East Timor from 2007 to 2012.
5. Fidel Ramos (born 1928), a Filipino politician and military leader who served as the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ramos
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ramos 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 Ramos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.9% · 230,768
- White6.6% · 17,694
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 14,360
- Black or African American1.1% · 3,026
- Two or more races0.8% · 2,116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 676
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ramos
Ramos 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
#76
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263,464
+70,368 bearers (+36.4%)
Per 100,000 89.32
Rank movement Up 36 places
2020
#74
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 268,640
+5,176 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 89.88
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112 | 193,096 | 71.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76 | 263,464 | 89.32 | +70,368 bearers (+36.4%) | Up 36 places |
| 2020 | #74 | 268,640 | 89.88 | +5,176 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 2 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 Ramos 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 | #76 | #74 | 2.6% |
| Count | 263,464 | 268,640 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 89.32 | 89.88 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ramos bearers went from 263,464 to 268,640 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #76 to #74.
FAQ
Ramos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ramos?
Name Census estimates that about 308,056 living Americans carry the surname Ramos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,113 residents.
How common is Ramos?
Ramos ranks #74 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 89.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 90 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 268,640 people with the surname Ramos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (308,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 89.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 89.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 90 of them to have the surname Ramos.
Has Ramos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ramos went from 263,464 recorded bearers to 268,640. That is an increase of 5,176 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #76 to #74.
What does the Census say about the background of Ramos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ramos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Ramos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (230,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ramos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.9%), White (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%). 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 Ramos (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 Ramos mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near twigs, branches, or bouquets. 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 Ramos (89.88 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 Americans have the surname Ramos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.