2000
#9,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Vallejos
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an origin in one of several places named Vallejo, meaning "little valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,010 Americans carry the last name Vallejos. That puts it at #8,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vallejos 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
4.0K
1 in 85,475
Census rank
#8,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,497 bearers of the surname Vallejos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallejos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vallejos
The surname Vallejos originated in Spain, deriving from the Spanish word "valle," which means "valley." The earliest known examples of this surname date back to the 13th century in the regions of Castile and Andalusia. It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who resided in or near a valley or who were associated with a particular valley.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Vallejos surname can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise compiled during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1312-1350). This text references several individuals with the surname Vallejos, indicating their presence in the region during that time period.
In the 15th century, the Vallejos surname appeared in various historical documents, including land records and municipal archives, particularly in the southern provinces of Spain. For instance, Francisco Vallejos, a noble landowner, was documented in the city of Seville in the year 1487.
During the 16th century, the Vallejos family played a significant role in the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas. One notable figure was Diego Vallejos, a conquistador born in Extremadura in 1520. He accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru and participated in the conquest of the Inca Empire.
In the 17th century, Juan Vallejos, a Spanish painter and engraver, became renowned for his religious artwork and contributions to the Baroque style. He was born in Madrid in 1630 and worked extensively for the Spanish court and churches throughout his career.
Another influential figure was Miguel Vallejos, a Jesuit priest and missionary born in Seville in 1680. He traveled to South America and dedicated his life to evangelizing and educating indigenous communities in the region now known as Paraguay.
Throughout the centuries, the Vallejos surname has been associated with various places and regions within Spain, such as the municipalities of Vallejos de Campos in Valladolid and Vallejos de Muñó in Burgos. These place names likely originated from the surname itself or vice versa, reflecting the close connection between the name and geographical locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vallejos
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallejos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vallejos 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 Vallejos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.3% · 2,842
- White11.1% · 389
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 159
- Two or more races1.8% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vallejos
Vallejos 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
#9,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,487
+486 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 584 places
2020
#8,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,497
+10 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,922 | 3,001 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,338 | 3,487 | 1.18 | +486 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 584 places |
| 2020 | #8,979 | 3,497 | 1.17 | +10 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 359 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 Vallejos 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 | #9,338 | #8,979 | 3.8% |
| Count | 3,487 | 3,497 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.17 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vallejos bearers went from 3,487 to 3,497 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 359 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,338 to #8,979.
FAQ
Vallejos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vallejos?
Name Census estimates that about 4,010 living Americans carry the surname Vallejos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,475 residents.
How common is Vallejos?
Vallejos ranks #8,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,497 people with the surname Vallejos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Vallejos.
Has Vallejos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vallejos went from 3,487 recorded bearers to 3,497. That is an increase of 10 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,338 to #8,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Vallejos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vallejos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Vallejos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (2,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vallejos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.3%), White (11.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Vallejos (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 Vallejos mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating an origin in one of several places named Vallejo, 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 Vallejos (1.17 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 Americans have the surname Vallejos?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.