2000
#711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.23
Uncommon Last name
Valenzuela
A Spanish locational surname referring to a person from any of the various places named Valenzuela.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 62,153 Americans carry the last name Valenzuela. That puts it at #605 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valenzuela 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 Valenzuela with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,515
Census rank
#605
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,200 bearers of the surname Valenzuela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 605th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valenzuela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valenzuela
The surname Valenzuela is of Spanish origin, originating in the region of Valencia, Spain. It is derived from the Spanish place name "Valencia," which comes from the Latin "Valentia," meaning "strength" or "valor." The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, during the period of the Reconquista, when the Iberian Peninsula was being reclaimed from Moorish rule.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Valenzuela can be traced back to the 13th century in documents from the Kingdom of Aragon, which included parts of modern-day Valencia. One notable example is Pedro de Valenzuela, a nobleman and military leader who fought in the Reconquista and was granted lands in Valencia in the late 13th century.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Valenzuela name gained prominence in Spain, with several members of the family holding important positions in the Spanish court and military. One of the most famous figures was Francisco Valenzuela, a Spanish diplomat and courtier who served as the chief minister to King Charles II of Spain in the late 17th century.
As the Spanish Empire expanded into the Americas, the Valenzuela surname spread to various regions of the New World. In the 16th century, Juan de Valenzuela was one of the early Spanish settlers and conquistadors in Mexico, where he played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Another notable figure with the Valenzuela surname was Diego de Valenzuela, a Spanish explorer and soldier who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expedition to Peru in the 1530s. He later became one of the first Spanish settlers in Peru and was granted lands in the region.
In the 18th century, José de Valenzuela y Enciso was a prominent Spanish painter and engraver, known for his religious works and portraits of Spanish nobility. He was born in Madrid in 1676 and died in 1744.
Throughout its history, the Valenzuela surname has been associated with various places in Spain, such as the city of Valencia and the surrounding region, as well as other areas where Spanish settlers established themselves during the colonial period in the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valenzuela
Among Census respondents with the surname Valenzuela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Valenzuela 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 Valenzuela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.0% · 48,250
- White5.5% · 3,003
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 1,624
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 840
- Two or more races0.6% · 331
- Black or African American0.3% · 152
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valenzuela
Valenzuela 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
#584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,383
+13,613 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 19.45
Rank movement Up 127 places
2020
#605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,200
-3,183 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 18.13
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #711 | 43,770 | 16.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #584 | 57,383 | 19.45 | +13,613 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 127 places |
| 2020 | #605 | 54,200 | 18.13 | -3,183 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 21 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 Valenzuela 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 | #584 | #605 | -3.6% |
| Count | 57,383 | 54,200 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 19.45 | 18.13 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valenzuela bearers went from 57,383 to 54,200 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #584 to #605.
FAQ
Valenzuela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valenzuela?
Name Census estimates that about 62,153 living Americans carry the surname Valenzuela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,515 residents.
How common is Valenzuela?
Valenzuela ranks #605 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,200 people with the surname Valenzuela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (62,153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Valenzuela.
Has Valenzuela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valenzuela went from 57,383 recorded bearers to 54,200. That is a decrease of 3,183 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #584 to #605.
What does the Census say about the background of Valenzuela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valenzuela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Valenzuela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (48,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valenzuela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.0%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Valenzuela (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 Valenzuela mean?
A Spanish locational surname referring to a person from any of the various places named Valenzuela. 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 Valenzuela (18.13 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 Valenzuela?
See how common the surname Valenzuela is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.