2000
#10,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,715
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Recio
A Spanish surname derived from the word "recio," meaning strong, sturdy, or tough.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,846 Americans carry the last name Recio. That puts it at #9,313 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,120 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Recio 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
3.8K
1 in 89,120
Census rank
#9,313
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,354 bearers of the surname Recio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9313th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Recio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Recio
The surname "RECIO" originated in Spain, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Spanish word "recio," meaning "strong" or "robust." This suggests that the name was initially bestowed upon someone with a powerful or sturdy physique.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Recio surname can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a late 14th-century document that detailed land ownership and taxation in the Kingdom of Castile. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Rezio" and "Reçio," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Recio surname gained prominence in several regions of Spain, particularly in Andalusia and Extremadura. Notable individuals bearing this name included Pedro Recio de Tirón (1532-1602), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala, and Diego Recio (1588-1653), a renowned Baroque painter from Seville.
In the 18th century, the Recio surname spread to the Spanish colonies in the Americas, as many families emigrated to the New World in search of new opportunities. One prominent figure from this era was José Recio Inguanzo (1726-1795), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1789 to 1793.
As the centuries passed, the Recio surname continued to be carried by notable individuals across various fields. For instance, Manuel Recio Chacón (1838-1915) was a Spanish painter renowned for his religious works, while Sebastián Recio Terrés (1887-1976) was a Spanish soldier and politician who played a significant role in the Spanish Civil War.
In more recent times, the name Recio has been associated with several accomplished individuals, such as Eugenio Recio Rosario (1884-1968), a Puerto Rican politician and diplomat who served as the first Ambassador of Puerto Rico to the United States, and José Recio Adrados (1915-1992), a Spanish philologist and academic who specialized in the study of ancient languages.
While the Recio surname has evolved and spread across various regions over the centuries, its origins remain deeply rooted in the Spanish language and culture, reflecting the strength and resilience of those who bore this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Recio
Among Census respondents with the surname Recio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Recio 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 Recio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.4% · 2,796
- White8.0% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 239
- Black or African American0.9% · 31
- Two or more races0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Recio
Recio 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
#9,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,442
+727 bearers (+26.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 1,336 places
2020
#9,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,354
-88 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,787 | 2,715 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,451 | 3,442 | 1.17 | +727 bearers (+26.8%) | Up 1,336 places |
| 2020 | #9,313 | 3,354 | 1.12 | -88 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 138 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 Recio 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 | #9,451 | #9,313 | 1.5% |
| Count | 3,442 | 3,354 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.12 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Recio bearers went from 3,442 to 3,354 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,451 to #9,313.
FAQ
Recio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Recio?
Name Census estimates that about 3,846 living Americans carry the surname Recio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,120 residents.
How common is Recio?
Recio ranks #9,313 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,354 people with the surname Recio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Recio.
Has Recio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Recio went from 3,442 recorded bearers to 3,354. That is a decrease of 88 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,451 to #9,313.
What does the Census say about the background of Recio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Recio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). 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 Recio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (2,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Recio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.4%), White (8.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). 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 Recio (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 Recio mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "recio," meaning strong, sturdy, or tough. 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 Recio (1.12 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 Recio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.