2000
#643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.90
Uncommon Last name
Salas
A Spanish habitational surname indicating the individual originated from a place called Salas, derived from "sala" meaning "hall".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,607 Americans carry the last name Salas. That puts it at #522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salas 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 Salas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
73K
1 in 4,721
Census rank
#522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
63K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,317 bearers of the surname Salas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salas
The surname Salas has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "sala," which means "hall" or "living room." The name is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked in a prominent hall or manor house.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Salas can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a 12th-century manuscript from the Kingdom of Navarre. This document mentions a certain "Domingo de Salas" who lived in the village of Salas de los Infantes, located in the province of Burgos.
During the 13th century, the name Salas appeared in various records and charters from the regions of Castile and León. For example, a certain "Gonzalo Martínez de Salas" was mentioned in a document from the city of Valladolid, dated 1267.
The Salas surname is also closely associated with the town of Salas, located in the principality of Asturias. This town was once a significant center of power during the Middle Ages, and it is believed that many individuals who lived or worked in the town adopted the surname Salas.
One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Salas was Alonso de Salas Barbadillo (1581-1635), a Spanish writer and playwright from Madrid. He was known for his satirical works and plays, which often criticized the social and political issues of his time.
Another famous individual with the Salas surname was Pedro de Salas (1584-1667), a Spanish Jesuit mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was involved in the reform of the Gregorian calendar.
In the 19th century, José Venancio López Salas (1803-1873) was a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and as the interim President of Mexico for a brief period in 1859.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Salas in the Americas can be traced back to Juan de Salas, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
Lastly, Félix María de Salas y Calvo (1808-1876) was a Spanish writer, historian, and politician who served as the Minister of State and the President of the Congress of Deputies in Spain during the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salas
Among Census respondents with the surname Salas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Salas 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 Salas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.8% · 56,839
- White6.3% · 3,975
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 1,515
- Two or more races0.8% · 478
- Black or African American0.4% · 261
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 249
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salas
Salas 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
#513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,468
+17,186 bearers (+35.6%)
Per 100,000 22.19
Rank movement Up 130 places
2020
#522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,317
-2,151 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 21.18
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #643 | 48,282 | 17.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #513 | 65,468 | 22.19 | +17,186 bearers (+35.6%) | Up 130 places |
| 2020 | #522 | 63,317 | 21.18 | -2,151 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 9 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 Salas 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 | #513 | #522 | -1.8% |
| Count | 65,468 | 63,317 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 22.19 | 21.18 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salas bearers went from 65,468 to 63,317 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #513 to #522.
FAQ
Salas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salas?
Name Census estimates that about 72,607 living Americans carry the surname Salas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,721 residents.
How common is Salas?
Salas ranks #522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,317 people with the surname Salas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Salas.
Has Salas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salas went from 65,468 recorded bearers to 63,317. That is a decrease of 2,151 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #513 to #522.
What does the Census say about the background of Salas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Salas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (56,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.8%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Salas (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 Salas mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating the individual originated from a place called Salas, derived from "sala" meaning "hall". 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 Salas (21.18 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 Salas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.