2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vallego
A surname derived from the Spanish word "valle" meaning "valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Vallego. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vallego 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Vallego in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vallego
The surname Vallego is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "valle," meaning "valley," suggesting a connection to a location or region characterized by valleys or low-lying areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vallego can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval Spanish census document compiled in the 14th century. This document lists several individuals bearing the surname, indicating its presence in various parts of the kingdom during that time.
In the 15th century, records show that a prominent figure named Fernando Vallego de Rozas served as a prominent ecclesiastical figure in the Diocese of Palencia. He played a significant role in the construction of the Cathedral of Palencia, which still stands today as a testament to the artistic and architectural achievements of that era.
During the 16th century, the Vallego surname gained prominence in the Spanish colonial territories of the Americas. One notable individual was Diego Vallego, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico.
In the 17th century, a well-known figure bearing the Vallego surname was Alonso Vallego, a celebrated painter from Seville, Spain. His works, which showcased a mastery of the Baroque style, can be found in various churches and museums across Andalusia.
As the centuries passed, the Vallego surname continued to be represented by individuals who made their mark in various fields. In the 19th century, Juan Vallego y Martínez (1824-1898) was a renowned Spanish sculptor whose works adorned several public spaces and buildings in Madrid.
Throughout its history, the Vallego surname has been associated with various geographical locations, particularly in Spain's central and southern regions. Some notable place names that share similarities with the surname include Valladolid, a city in the Castile and León region, and Vallejo, a municipality in the province of Cuenca.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vallego
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vallego 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 Vallego surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.3% · 92
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- White1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vallego
Vallego 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+9 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-8 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 5,835 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 Vallego 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 | #148,347 | #154,182 | -3.9% |
| Count | 111 | 103 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vallego bearers went from 111 to 103 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 5,835 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,182.
FAQ
Vallego surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vallego?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Vallego. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Vallego?
Vallego ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Vallego. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vallego.
Has Vallego become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vallego went from 111 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Vallego?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Vallego in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vallego appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Vallego (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 Vallego mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish word "valle" meaning "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 Vallego (0.03 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 share the surname Vallego?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.