2000
#21,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Requena
A Spanish surname likely deriving from the town of Requena in Valencia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,101 Americans carry the last name Requena. That puts it at #15,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Requena 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
2.1K
1 in 163,139
Census rank
#15,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,832 bearers of the surname Requena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Requena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Requena
The surname Requena has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish place name "Requena," a town located in the province of Valencia, in the Castilla–La Mancha region of eastern Spain. This topographic surname likely referred to someone who was originally from or resided in the town of Requena.
The place name "Requena" itself is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "requies," meaning "rest" or "repose." This suggests that the town may have served as a resting place or stop-over point for travelers or pilgrims in ancient times.
Historical records indicate that the surname Requena was already in use by the 13th century. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a census record compiled in 1283 after the reconquest of Seville by King Alfonso X of Castile. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Requena, indicating their presence in the region at that time.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Requena. One prominent figure was Rodrigo de Requena (1553-1616), a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Málaga from 1606 until his death. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Juan de Requena (1632-1693), a Spanish painter and engraver active during the Baroque period, known for his religious works.
In the literary realm, Francisco Requena (1743-1824) was a Spanish writer and historian who authored several works on the history of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Additionally, José Requena (1768-1825) was a Spanish military officer and explorer who participated in scientific expeditions to the Amazon basin in the late 18th century.
Moving into the 19th century, Gregorio Requena (1830-1899) was a prominent Venezuelan politician and diplomat who served as President of Venezuela for a brief period in 1892. He played a significant role in the country's political landscape during the latter half of the 19th century.
While the surname Requena has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly due to Spanish colonization and migration. However, its earliest recorded instances and historical significance can be traced back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Requena
Among Census respondents with the surname Requena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Requena 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 Requena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.8% · 1,591
- White6.6% · 120
- Black or African American5.7% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Requena
Requena 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
#17,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,661
+506 bearers (+43.8%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 4,089 places
2020
#15,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,832
+171 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 1,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,176 | 1,155 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,087 | 1,661 | 0.56 | +506 bearers (+43.8%) | Up 4,089 places |
| 2020 | #15,413 | 1,832 | 0.61 | +171 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,674 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 Requena 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 | #17,087 | #15,413 | 9.8% |
| Count | 1,661 | 1,832 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.61 | 9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Requena bearers went from 1,661 to 1,832 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 1,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,087 to #15,413.
FAQ
Requena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Requena?
Name Census estimates that about 2,101 living Americans carry the surname Requena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,139 residents.
How common is Requena?
Requena ranks #15,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,832 people with the surname Requena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Requena.
Has Requena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Requena went from 1,661 recorded bearers to 1,832. That is an increase of 171 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,087 to #15,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Requena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Requena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (5.7%). 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 Requena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (1,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Requena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.8%), White (6.6%), Black (5.7%). 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 Requena (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 Requena mean?
A Spanish surname likely deriving from the town of Requena in Valencia. 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 Requena (0.61 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 Requena?
You can see how many people are called Requena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.