2000
#7,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Recinos
Derived from a place name in Spain, likely referring to someone who lived near oak trees or an oak forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,178 Americans carry the last name Recinos. That puts it at #4,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,912 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Recinos 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
8.2K
1 in 41,912
Census rank
#4,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,132 bearers of the surname Recinos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Recinos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Recinos
The surname RECINOS originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. Its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Spanish word 'recino,' which means 'neighbor' or 'resident.' This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived in a particular neighborhood or village.
One of the earliest known references to the name RECINOS can be found in the archives of the city of Toledo, where a certain Alonso Recinos is mentioned in a document dated 1492. This document pertains to a land dispute, indicating that the Recinos family had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name RECINOS appears in various records related to the Spanish conquest of the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Recinos de Ledesma, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the 1520s. He is believed to have been born in Extremadura, Spain, around 1490 and died in Guatemala sometime after 1540.
Another important figure bearing the surname RECINOS was Antonio Recinos, a renowned Guatemalan writer, and diplomat who lived from 1886 to 1962. He was a prominent scholar of Mayan literature and culture and played a significant role in promoting the study and preservation of indigenous languages and traditions in Guatemala.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname RECINOS was José Recinos y Leira, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars. He was born in Seville in 1818 and died in 1874.
The surname RECINOS can also be found in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico and Argentina, likely due to migration from Spain during the colonial period. One notable bearer of the name in Mexico was Ramón Recinos, a revolutionary who fought alongside Emiliano Zapata during the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the RECINOS surname has been associated with various professions, including military service, literature, and diplomacy. While its origins can be traced back to a specific region in Spain, the name has since spread to different parts of the world, particularly in Latin America, where it has become well-established.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Recinos
Among Census respondents with the surname Recinos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Recinos 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 Recinos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 6,825
- White3.2% · 228
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 24
- Two or more races0.3% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Recinos
Recinos 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
#5,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,540
+2,512 bearers (+62.4%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Up 2,283 places
2020
#4,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,132
+592 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Up 523 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,609 | 4,028 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,326 | 6,540 | 2.22 | +2,512 bearers (+62.4%) | Up 2,283 places |
| 2020 | #4,803 | 7,132 | 2.39 | +592 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 523 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 Recinos 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 | #5,326 | #4,803 | 9.8% |
| Count | 6,540 | 7,132 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 2.39 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Recinos bearers went from 6,540 to 7,132 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 523 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,326 to #4,803.
FAQ
Recinos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Recinos?
Name Census estimates that about 8,178 living Americans carry the surname Recinos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,912 residents.
How common is Recinos?
Recinos ranks #4,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,132 people with the surname Recinos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,178), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Recinos.
Has Recinos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Recinos went from 6,540 recorded bearers to 7,132. That is an increase of 592 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,326 to #4,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Recinos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Recinos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Recinos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (6,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Recinos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.7%), White (3.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Recinos (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 Recinos mean?
Derived from a place name in Spain, likely referring to someone who lived near oak trees or an oak forest. 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 Recinos (2.39 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 Recinos?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Recinos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.