2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tecuanhuey
A surname of Nahuatl origin meaning "stone snake" or "serpent of stone".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Tecuanhuey. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tecuanhuey 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Tecuanhuey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tecuanhuey, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tecuanhuey
The surname TECUANHUEY has its origins in Mexico, with records of the name dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous groups in central Mexico. The name is believed to be a combination of two words: "tecuan" meaning "jaguar" and "huey" meaning "great" or "powerful."
One of the earliest known references to the name TECUANHUEY can be found in the Codex Mendoza, a 16th-century Aztec codex that contains a detailed account of the tribute paid to the Aztec rulers. The name is mentioned in the context of a settlement or community that paid tribute to the Aztec empire.
The TECUANHUEY name is also associated with the town of Tecuanhuey, located in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. This town was likely named after an individual or family with the surname TECUANHUEY, indicating the name's longstanding presence in the region.
During the Spanish colonial period, several individuals with the surname TECUANHUEY were recorded in various documents. One notable example is Juan TECUANHUEY, a powerful cacique (indigenous leader) who lived in the late 16th century and played a role in the resistance against Spanish colonial rule.
In the 18th century, the TECUANHUEY name appears in records from the Mexican state of Guerrero. María TECUANHUEY, born in 1725, was a prominent figure in the local community and was known for her involvement in the defense of indigenous rights.
Another individual of note is José TECUANHUEY, a 19th-century Mexican artist and painter who was born in 1842 in the state of Puebla. His works, which often depicted scenes of everyday life and indigenous cultures, are now considered important representations of Mexican art from that period.
As the TECUANHUEY surname spread throughout Mexico, it also appeared in other parts of Latin America. In the early 20th century, Pedro TECUANHUEY, a Guatemalan writer and journalist born in 1892, gained recognition for his contributions to literature and his advocacy for social justice.
The TECUANHUEY name has endured through the centuries, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and historical significance rooted in the indigenous communities of Mexico. Its connection to the powerful jaguar and its representation of strength and leadership continue to be reflected in the individuals who bear this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tecuanhuey
Among Census respondents with the surname Tecuanhuey, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tecuanhuey 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 Tecuanhuey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.3% · 99
- White5.7% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tecuanhuey
Tecuanhuey 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-14 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 12,832 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 Tecuanhuey 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 | #140,157 | #152,989 | -9.2% |
| Count | 119 | 105 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tecuanhuey bearers went from 119 to 105 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 12,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #152,989.
FAQ
Tecuanhuey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tecuanhuey?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Tecuanhuey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Tecuanhuey?
Tecuanhuey ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Tecuanhuey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Tecuanhuey.
Has Tecuanhuey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tecuanhuey went from 119 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Tecuanhuey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tecuanhuey, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%). 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 Tecuanhuey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tecuanhuey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.3%), White (5.7%). 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 Tecuanhuey (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 Tecuanhuey mean?
A surname of Nahuatl origin meaning "stone snake" or "serpent of stone". 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 Tecuanhuey (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 many people have the last name Tecuanhuey?
Want to know how many people are called Tecuanhuey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.