2000
#21,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Vallecillo
A Spanish habitational name meaning "little valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,243 Americans carry the last name Vallecillo. That puts it at #14,615 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vallecillo 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
2.2K
1 in 152,811
Census rank
#14,615
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,956 bearers of the surname Vallecillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14615th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallecillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vallecillo
The surname Vallecillo originates from Spain and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish words "valle" meaning valley and the diminutive suffix "-cillo", indicating a small valley or a little valley. This suggests that the name was likely associated with a person who lived near or owned a small valley or came from a place with that name.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Vallecillo can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Spain, particularly in areas such as Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. It is believed that the name may have originated as a topographic surname, referring to the geographic location or landscape where the initial bearers of the name resided.
One of the earliest known references to the name Vallecillo can be found in the Libro de la Montería (Book of the Hunt), a medieval Spanish manuscript dating back to the 14th century. This book, which was commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, contains a list of places and hunting grounds, including mentions of individuals with the surname Vallecillo.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Vallecillo throughout history include Juan Vallecillo (c.1530-1608), a Spanish painter and sculptor from Seville, known for his religious works and contributions to the Baroque style in Andalusia. Another noteworthy figure was María Vallecillo (1591-1655), a Spanish nun and mystic from Jaén, who was recognized for her spiritual writings and teachings.
In the 16th century, the Vallecillo family was known to have held land and property in the region of Cuenca, as evidenced by records from the time. One prominent member was Diego Vallecillo (c.1540-1612), a landowner and local official who played a role in the administration of the town of Uña.
Moving forward to the 17th century, Pedro Vallecillo (1622-1698) was a Spanish priest and scholar from Granada, known for his work on ecclesiastical history and his contributions to the fields of theology and philosophy.
Throughout the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname have been observed, such as Vallejillo, Vallecio, and Vallezillo, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the evolution of the Spanish language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vallecillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallecillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vallecillo 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 Vallecillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 1,841
- White4.9% · 95
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- Two or more races0.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vallecillo
Vallecillo 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
#16,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
+653 bearers (+57.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 5,259 places
2020
#14,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,956
+163 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 1,521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,395 | 1,140 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,136 | 1,793 | 0.61 | +653 bearers (+57.3%) | Up 5,259 places |
| 2020 | #14,615 | 1,956 | 0.65 | +163 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 1,521 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 Vallecillo 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 | #16,136 | #14,615 | 9.4% |
| Count | 1,793 | 1,956 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.65 | 7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vallecillo bearers went from 1,793 to 1,956 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 1,521 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,136 to #14,615.
FAQ
Vallecillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vallecillo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,243 living Americans carry the surname Vallecillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,811 residents.
How common is Vallecillo?
Vallecillo ranks #14,615 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,956 people with the surname Vallecillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vallecillo.
Has Vallecillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vallecillo went from 1,793 recorded bearers to 1,956. That is an increase of 163 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,136 to #14,615.
What does the Census say about the background of Vallecillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallecillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Vallecillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vallecillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (4.9%), Black (0.7%). 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 Vallecillo (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 Vallecillo mean?
A Spanish habitational name meaning "little valley". 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 Vallecillo (0.65 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 Vallecillo?
Find out how many people have the last name Vallecillo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.