2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sarmientos
A Spanish surname derived from the word "sarmiento" meaning vine branch or shoot.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Sarmientos. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarmientos 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Sarmientos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarmientos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarmientos
The surname Sarmientos is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "sarmiento" which means "shoot" or "vine branch." This name originated in the northern Spanish regions of Galicia and Asturias during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sarmientos name can be found in the 13th century, when it was associated with the noble Sarmiento family of Galicia. This family played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to drive the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.
In the 14th century, Pedro Ruíz Sarmiento (1311-1348) was a prominent Spanish nobleman who served as the Lord of Salinas de Añana and Ribadavia. He was a loyal supporter of King Alfonso XI of Castile and played a crucial role in the Battle of Río Salado against the Moors in 1340.
Another notable figure with the Sarmientos surname was Diego Gómez Sarmiento (1368-1422), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of Galicia during the reign of King John II of Castile. He was instrumental in suppressing revolts and uprisings in the region.
In the 16th century, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532-1592) was a Spanish explorer, navigator, and historian who explored the coasts of South America and the Strait of Magellan. He founded several settlements in present-day Chile and Argentina and wrote a detailed account of his expeditions.
Moving forward to the 18th century, José Sarmiento Valladares (1692-1772) was a Spanish writer and historian who authored several works on Spanish history and literature. He served as the Royal Librarian and was a member of the Royal Academy of History in Madrid.
Throughout its long history, the Sarmientos surname has been associated with various noble families, military leaders, explorers, and intellectuals, reflecting its Spanish origins and the significant contributions of individuals bearing this name to various aspects of Spanish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarmientos
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarmientos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarmientos 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 Sarmientos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.3% · 108
- White4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarmientos
Sarmientos appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 6,182 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 Sarmientos 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 | #150,452 | #144,270 | 4.1% |
| Count | 109 | 117 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarmientos bearers went from 109 to 117 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 6,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #144,270.
FAQ
Sarmientos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarmientos?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Sarmientos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Sarmientos?
Sarmientos ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Sarmientos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sarmientos.
Has Sarmientos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarmientos went from 109 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarmientos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarmientos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Sarmientos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarmientos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.3%), White (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Sarmientos (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 Sarmientos mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "sarmiento" meaning vine branch or shoot. 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 Sarmientos (0.04 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 Sarmientos?
Find out how many people have the surname Sarmientos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.