2000
#616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,026
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.54
Uncommon Last name
Valencia
A habitational surname referring to a person from the city of Valencia, Spain, or a place with a similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 77,295 Americans carry the last name Valencia. That puts it at #485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,434 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valencia 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 Valencia with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
77K
1 in 4,434
Census rank
#485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
67K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 67,405 bearers of the surname Valencia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valencia
The surname Valencia is of Spanish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It derives from the city of Valencia, located on the eastern coast of Spain. The city's name is thought to come from the Latin word "Valentia," meaning "strength" or "valor."
In the early Middle Ages, Valencia was under Moorish rule and was an important center of culture and learning. The city's name was rendered as "Balansiyya" in Arabic. After the Reconquista in the 13th century, when the region was reconquered by Christian forces, the name evolved into its modern Spanish form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Valencia can be found in the 13th century, when a nobleman named Rodrigo de Valencia was mentioned in a charter from the Kingdom of Aragon. Other early spellings include Valençia and Valentia.
Over the centuries, the Valencia surname has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Pedro de Valencia (1555-1620), a Spanish humanist, philosopher, and writer who served as a tutor to the sons of Philip III of Spain.
Another prominent figure was Gregorio Fernández de Valencia (c. 1576-1636), a Spanish sculptor and architect known for his intricate wooden carvings in the Baroque style. His works can be found in numerous churches across Spain.
In the 19th century, José Enrique Rodó (1871-1917), a Uruguayan philosopher and writer, adopted the surname Valencia as a literary pseudonym. His essay "Ariel" became a seminal work in the Latin American literary canon.
The surname also has connections to the New World. Francisco de Valencia (c. 1555-1629) was a Dominican friar and linguist who studied and documented various indigenous languages in Mexico and Central America.
Another notable figure was Pedro de Valencia y Covarrubias (1690-1768), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who commanded several expeditions along the Pacific coast of the Americas and the Mariana Islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valencia
Among Census respondents with the surname Valencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Valencia 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 Valencia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 59,670
- White5.1% · 3,406
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 2,780
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 827
- Two or more races0.6% · 406
- Black or African American0.5% · 316
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valencia
Valencia 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
#475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,000
+19,974 bearers (+39.9%)
Per 100,000 23.73
Rank movement Up 141 places
2020
#485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,405
-2,595 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 22.55
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #616 | 50,026 | 18.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #475 | 70,000 | 23.73 | +19,974 bearers (+39.9%) | Up 141 places |
| 2020 | #485 | 67,405 | 22.55 | -2,595 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 10 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 Valencia 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 | #475 | #485 | -2.1% |
| Count | 70,000 | 67,405 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 23.73 | 22.55 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valencia bearers went from 70,000 to 67,405 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #475 to #485.
FAQ
Valencia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valencia?
Name Census estimates that about 77,295 living Americans carry the surname Valencia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,434 residents.
How common is Valencia?
Valencia ranks #485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 67,405 people with the surname Valencia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (77,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Valencia.
Has Valencia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valencia went from 70,000 recorded bearers to 67,405. That is a decrease of 2,595 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #475 to #485.
What does the Census say about the background of Valencia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Valencia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (59,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valencia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), White (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Valencia (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 Valencia mean?
A habitational surname referring to a person from the city of Valencia, Spain, or a place with a similar name. 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 Valencia (22.55 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 Valencia?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Valencia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.