2000
#81
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232,511
First available Census row
Per 100,000 86.19
Common Last name
Reyes
A Spanish surname meaning "kings," referring to a person who served in the royal court or had royal ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 385,103 Americans carry the last name Reyes. That puts it at #56 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 112.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 890 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reyes 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 Reyes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
385K
1 in 890
Census rank
#56
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
112.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
336K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 335,828 bearers of the surname Reyes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 112.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reyes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%) and White (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reyes
The surname Reyes originated from the Spanish language and has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in Spain and Portugal. It traces its origins back to the medieval era, around the 8th to 15th centuries.
The name Reyes is derived from the Spanish word "rey," which means "king." This suggests that the surname may have been associated with individuals who had some connection to royalty or the royal court during those times. It could have been given to those who served the king directly or were bestowed titles or lands by the monarchy.
Historically, the name Reyes has been documented in various records and manuscripts from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Libro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century Castilian manuscript that recorded the rights and privileges of certain towns and villages in the Kingdom of Castile.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Reyes dates back to the 13th century, with a nobleman named Rodrigo Reyes, who served as a knight under King Alfonso X of Castile (1221-1284). Another early record is that of Juan Reyes, a prominent explorer and navigator from Seville, who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
Throughout history, the Reyes surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, the town of Reyes in the province of Seville, Spain, likely derived its name from individuals bearing the Reyes surname who settled there or held lands in the area.
Famous individuals with the surname Reyes include:
1. Antonio de Reyes (1663-1738), a Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Rafael Reyes (1849-1923), a Colombian politician and military officer who served as the 16th President of Colombia from 1904 to 1909.
3. Alonso de Reyes (fl. 1585-1617), a Spanish composer and music theorist during the Renaissance period.
4. Bernardo de los Reyes (1530-1612), a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who helped establish the first Catholic mission in Japan.
5. Alfonso Reyes (1889-1959), a Mexican writer, philosopher, and diplomat who served as the Mexican ambassador to various countries.
While the surname Reyes has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reyes
Among Census respondents with the surname Reyes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%) and White (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Reyes 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 Reyes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.7% · 294,400
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 20,672
- White4.5% · 15,241
- Two or more races0.7% · 2,361
- Black or African American0.7% · 2,343
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 811
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reyes
Reyes 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
#60
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 327,904
+95,393 bearers (+41.0%)
Per 100,000 111.16
Rank movement Up 21 places
2020
#56
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 335,828
+7,924 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 112.36
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81 | 232,511 | 86.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60 | 327,904 | 111.16 | +95,393 bearers (+41.0%) | Up 21 places |
| 2020 | #56 | 335,828 | 112.36 | +7,924 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 4 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 Reyes 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 | #60 | #56 | 6.7% |
| Count | 327,904 | 335,828 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 111.16 | 112.36 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reyes bearers went from 327,904 to 335,828 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #60 to #56.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reyes
FAQ
Reyes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reyes?
Name Census estimates that about 385,103 living Americans carry the surname Reyes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 890 residents.
How common is Reyes?
Reyes ranks #56 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 112.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 112 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 335,828 people with the surname Reyes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (385,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 112.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 112.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 112 of them to have the surname Reyes.
Has Reyes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reyes went from 327,904 recorded bearers to 335,828. That is an increase of 7,924 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #60 to #56.
What does the Census say about the background of Reyes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reyes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%) and White (4.5%). 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 Reyes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (294,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reyes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%), White (4.5%). 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 Reyes (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 Reyes mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "kings," referring to a person who served in the royal court or had royal ancestry. 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 Reyes (112.36 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 Reyes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.