2000
#2,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,514
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.38
Uncommon Last name
Toledo
A habitational surname referring to someone from the city or province of Toledo, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,498 Americans carry the last name Toledo. That puts it at #1,786 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toledo 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 Toledo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,235
Census rank
#1,786
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,619 bearers of the surname Toledo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1786th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toledo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toledo
The surname Toledo originated in Spain, specifically in the city of Toledo, located in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula. The name can be traced back to the 8th century, during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Toledo was an important city for the Moors, known for its rich cultural heritage and architectural marvels.
The name Toledo is derived from the Arabic word "Tuleyṭulah," which means "the city of tolls" or "the city of taxes." This reflects the city's significance as a center of trade and commerce during the Moorish era. The surname likely emerged among families who lived in or had connections to the city of Toledo.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Toledo can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a book that documented the distribution of land and property in Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces in 1248. This book mentions several individuals with the surname Toledo, suggesting that the name had already established itself by that time.
Throughout history, various spellings of the name have been used, such as Tolède, Toletum, and Tolaitola, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations. The name has also been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Pedro de Toledo (1484-1553), a Spanish nobleman and Viceroy of Naples.
2. García Álvarez de Toledo (1519-1579), a Spanish military leader and Governor of the Netherlands.
3. María de Toledo (1490-1549), a Spanish noblewoman and the wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
4. Fernando Álvarez de Toledo (1507-1582), a Spanish military commander and Duke of Alba.
5. Juan de Toledo (1611-1665), a Spanish sculptor and architect known for his work on the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.
The surname Toledo has also been associated with various place names, such as Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States named after the Spanish city, and Toledo District, a district in Belize that was once part of the Spanish Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toledo
Among Census respondents with the surname Toledo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Toledo 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 Toledo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.3% · 15,164
- White8.6% · 1,681
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.6% · 1,295
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.9% · 1,162
- Two or more races0.9% · 185
- Black or African American0.7% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toledo
Toledo 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
#1,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,474
+4,960 bearers (+34.2%)
Per 100,000 6.60
Rank movement Up 453 places
2020
#1,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,619
+145 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 6.56
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,294 | 14,514 | 5.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,841 | 19,474 | 6.60 | +4,960 bearers (+34.2%) | Up 453 places |
| 2020 | #1,786 | 19,619 | 6.56 | +145 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 55 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 Toledo 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 | #1,841 | #1,786 | 3.0% |
| Count | 19,474 | 19,619 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.60 | 6.56 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toledo bearers went from 19,474 to 19,619 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,841 to #1,786.
FAQ
Toledo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toledo?
Name Census estimates that about 22,498 living Americans carry the surname Toledo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,235 residents.
How common is Toledo?
Toledo ranks #1,786 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,619 people with the surname Toledo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,498), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Toledo.
Has Toledo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toledo went from 19,474 recorded bearers to 19,619. That is an increase of 145 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,841 to #1,786.
What does the Census say about the background of Toledo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toledo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%). 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 Toledo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (15,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toledo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.3%), White (8.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%). 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 Toledo (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 Toledo mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from the city or province of Toledo, Spain. 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 Toledo (6.56 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 Toledo?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Toledo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.