2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Secada
Derived from the Spanish word "secada," meaning a dry, barren area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Secada. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Secada 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Secada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Secada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.8%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Secada
The surname Secada has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "secada," which means "dried up" or "desiccated." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who lived in an arid or drought-prone area.
One of the earliest known references to the Secada name can be found in the medieval records of the Kingdom of Aragon, where a certain Pedro Secada was listed as a landowner in the region of Zaragoza in 1487. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the area at that time.
During the 16th century, the Secada family spread across various parts of Spain, with some members settling in the region of Andalusia. In 1573, a document from the town of Seville mentions a Juan de Secada, who was a merchant and trader of goods from the Americas.
As the Spanish Empire expanded its influence across the Atlantic, the Secada name also found its way to the New World. In 1621, records show that a Diego Secada was among the early settlers in the Spanish colony of Nueva España (present-day Mexico).
One of the earliest notable figures with the Secada surname was Antonio Secada y Méndez (1674-1744), a Spanish military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was born in Cádiz and rose to the rank of Captain General in the Spanish Army.
Another prominent individual was José Secada Merino (1789-1868), a Cuban-born Spanish soldier and politician who played a significant role in the Carlist Wars of the 19th century. He was a staunch supporter of the Carlist cause and served as the Minister of War under the brief reign of Charles V.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the Secada name was Jon Secada (born 1962), a Cuban-American singer and songwriter who achieved international success with hits like "Just Another Day" and "Angel." He has won multiple Grammy Awards and has been recognized for his contributions to Latin pop music.
While the surname Secada is not among the most common in Spain or Latin America, it has persisted through the centuries and continues to be associated with individuals of Spanish and Hispanic heritage around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Secada
Among Census respondents with the surname Secada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.8%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Secada 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 Secada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.8% · 89
- White18.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Secada
Secada 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,208 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 2,208 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,231 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 Secada 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 | #147,221 | 2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 113 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Secada bearers went from 109 to 113 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,221.
FAQ
Secada surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Secada?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Secada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Secada?
Secada ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Secada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Secada.
Has Secada become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Secada went from 109 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Secada?
Among Census respondents with the surname Secada, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.8%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Secada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Secada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.8%), White (18.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Secada (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 Secada mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "secada," meaning a dry, barren area. 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 Secada (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 Secada?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Secada is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.