2000
#3,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.37
Uncommon Last name
Ulloa
Basque habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Ulloa in northern Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,966 Americans carry the last name Ulloa. That puts it at #2,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,468 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulloa 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
16K
1 in 21,468
Census rank
#2,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,923 bearers of the surname Ulloa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulloa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulloa
The surname Ulloa originated in the northwestern region of Spain, particularly in the province of Galicia. It is believed to have derived from the Galician topographic term "ulloa," which means a small valley or hollow between hills. This suggests that the name was likely initially used to identify someone who lived in or came from such a geographic location.
The earliest known record of the Ulloa surname dates back to the 12th century. In 1162, a nobleman named Rodrigo Álvarez de Ulloa was mentioned in a document related to the Monastery of San Martín Pinario in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. This indicates that the Ulloa family had already established itself as a prominent lineage in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, the Ulloa family played a significant role in the regional politics of Galicia. One notable figure was Rodrigo Álvarez de Ulloa, who served as the Lord of Ulloa and was involved in conflicts with the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela during the reign of King Alfonso IX of León.
The Ulloa name also appeared in historical records outside of Galicia. In the 14th century, Juan Rodríguez de Ulloa (c. 1310-1370) was a notable knight and military leader who fought in the Battle of Nájera during the Castilian Civil War. He was later appointed as the governor of Seville by King Pedro I of Castile.
During the 15th century, the Ulloa family continued to hold influential positions in Galicia. Lope Sánchez de Ulloa (c. 1415-1490) was a prominent nobleman and military commander who served under King Juan II of Castile and León. He participated in the conquest of Gibraltar and the Battle of Olmedo.
Another notable figure from this period was Juan de Ulloa (c. 1470-1539), a Spanish explorer and navigator. He is best known for leading the first European expedition to explore the coast of present-day Mexico in 1539, giving his name to several geographic features, including the Gulf of Ulloa and Ulloa Island.
In the 16th century, Alonso de Ulloa (c. 1530-1589) was a Spanish writer and historian who authored the book "La Vida de Carlos V" (The Life of Charles V), a biography of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He also served as a diplomat and held various administrative positions in Spain and the Spanish colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulloa
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulloa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulloa 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 Ulloa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 13,144
- White3.9% · 549
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 126
- Black or African American0.4% · 51
- Two or more races0.3% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulloa
Ulloa 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
#2,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,133
+4,036 bearers (+44.4%)
Per 100,000 4.45
Rank movement Up 844 places
2020
#2,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,923
+790 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Up 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,587 | 9,097 | 3.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,743 | 13,133 | 4.45 | +4,036 bearers (+44.4%) | Up 844 places |
| 2020 | #2,526 | 13,923 | 4.66 | +790 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 217 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 Ulloa 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 | #2,743 | #2,526 | 7.9% |
| Count | 13,133 | 13,923 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.45 | 4.66 | 4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulloa bearers went from 13,133 to 13,923 (+6.0% change). The surname moved up 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,743 to #2,526.
FAQ
Ulloa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulloa?
Name Census estimates that about 15,966 living Americans carry the surname Ulloa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,468 residents.
How common is Ulloa?
Ulloa ranks #2,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,923 people with the surname Ulloa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,966), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Ulloa.
Has Ulloa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulloa went from 13,133 recorded bearers to 13,923. That is an increase of 790 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,743 to #2,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulloa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulloa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Ulloa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (13,144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulloa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.4%), White (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Ulloa (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 Ulloa mean?
Basque habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Ulloa in northern 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 Ulloa (4.66 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 Ulloa?
If you just want to know how many people are called Ulloa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.