2000
#2,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.31
Uncommon Last name
Robledo
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Robledo, meaning "oak grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,821 Americans carry the last name Robledo. That puts it at #2,420 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robledo 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
17K
1 in 20,377
Census rank
#2,420
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,669 bearers of the surname Robledo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2420th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robledo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robledo
The surname Robledo is of Spanish origin, originating in the northern regions of Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish words "roble" meaning oak and "ledo" meaning glad or happy, suggesting a possible connection to an oak forest or a joyful place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Robledo can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 14th century, which listed landowners and their properties in the region of Castile. This document mentions individuals with the surname Robledo as landowners in various villages and towns.
The name Robledo is also associated with several place names in Spain, such as Robledo de Chavela in the Community of Madrid, and Robledo de las Pueblas in the province of Ávila. These place names likely originated from the presence of oak forests or the settlement of Robledo families in those areas.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Robledo include:
1. Juan Robledo (c. 1500 - c. 1570), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led expeditions in present-day Colombia and discovered the Ariari River.
2. Beatriz Robledo (c. 1520 - c. 1590), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner in Andalusia, known for her philanthropic work and patronage of the arts.
3. Pedro Robledo de Santisteban (c. 1580 - c. 1650), a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and participated in the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
4. María Robledo y Villegas (1640 - 1707), a Spanish nun and writer who authored religious texts and poetry.
5. Francisco Robledo Sánchez (1822 - 1896), a Mexican politician and military leader who served as governor of Jalisco from 1879 to 1881.
While the surname Robledo has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly Latin American countries, through Spanish colonization and migration. The name continues to be prevalent in many Spanish-speaking communities, carrying the legacy of its medieval origins and the historic individuals who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robledo
Among Census respondents with the surname Robledo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Robledo 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 Robledo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 13,701
- White4.8% · 706
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 89
- Black or African American0.5% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 54
- Two or more races0.3% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robledo
Robledo 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
#2,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,001
+4,381 bearers (+37.7%)
Per 100,000 5.42
Rank movement Up 552 places
2020
#2,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,669
-1,332 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Down 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,829 | 11,620 | 4.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,277 | 16,001 | 5.42 | +4,381 bearers (+37.7%) | Up 552 places |
| 2020 | #2,420 | 14,669 | 4.91 | -1,332 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 143 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 Robledo 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 | #2,277 | #2,420 | -6.3% |
| Count | 16,001 | 14,669 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.42 | 4.91 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robledo bearers went from 16,001 to 14,669 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,277 to #2,420.
FAQ
Robledo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robledo?
Name Census estimates that about 16,821 living Americans carry the surname Robledo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,377 residents.
How common is Robledo?
Robledo ranks #2,420 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,669 people with the surname Robledo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Robledo.
Has Robledo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robledo went from 16,001 recorded bearers to 14,669. That is a decrease of 1,332 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,277 to #2,420.
What does the Census say about the background of Robledo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robledo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Robledo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (13,701 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robledo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Robledo (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 Robledo mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Robledo, meaning "oak grove." 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 Robledo (4.91 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 Robledo?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Robledo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.