2000
#2,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,677
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.44
Uncommon Last name
Venegas
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Venegas, which likely refers to a person from that locality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,918 Americans carry the last name Venegas. That puts it at #1,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,956 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Venegas 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
23K
1 in 14,956
Census rank
#1,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,986 bearers of the surname Venegas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Venegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Venegas
The surname Venegas originated in Spain and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "venegar," which means "to season with vinegar." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold vinegar.
The earliest known record of the Venegas surname appears in the 13th century, when a certain Rodrigo Venegas was mentioned in a document from the Kingdom of Castile. In the 14th century, the name Venegas was associated with the town of Venegas in the province of Soria, Spain, indicating that some bearers of the name may have originated from or lived in that area.
One notable figure with the surname Venegas was Pedro Venegas (c. 1490-1542), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was also involved in the exploration and colonization of parts of Central America.
Another prominent Venegas was Miguel Venegas (1680-1764), a Jesuit missionary and explorer who spent many years in California and authored a book entitled "Noticia de la California" (News from California), which provided valuable information about the geography and indigenous peoples of the region.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Venegas family settled in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. One member of this branch was Francisco Venegas de Córdoba (1555-1623), a Spanish colonial official who served as the governor of Nicaragua and later became the viceroy of New Spain (Mexico).
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Venegas surname was also found in various parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Castile. One notable individual from this period was Antonio Venegas de Henestrosa (1610-1685), a Spanish poet and playwright who was part of the literary movement known as the Spanish Golden Age.
The Venegas surname has been associated with several place names over the centuries, including Venegas de Soria (a municipality in the province of Soria), Veneguera (a town in Andalusia), and Veneguillas (a municipality in the province of Ávila).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Venegas
Among Census respondents with the surname Venegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Venegas 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 Venegas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.8% · 18,756
- White4.5% · 901
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 66
- Two or more races0.3% · 64
- Black or African American0.2% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Venegas
Venegas 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
#1,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,851
+6,174 bearers (+42.1%)
Per 100,000 7.07
Rank movement Up 549 places
2020
#1,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,986
-865 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 6.69
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,271 | 14,677 | 5.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,722 | 20,851 | 7.07 | +6,174 bearers (+42.1%) | Up 549 places |
| 2020 | #1,752 | 19,986 | 6.69 | -865 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 30 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 Venegas 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 | #1,722 | #1,752 | -1.7% |
| Count | 20,851 | 19,986 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 7.07 | 6.69 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Venegas bearers went from 20,851 to 19,986 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,722 to #1,752.
FAQ
Venegas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Venegas?
Name Census estimates that about 22,918 living Americans carry the surname Venegas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,956 residents.
How common is Venegas?
Venegas ranks #1,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,986 people with the surname Venegas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,918), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Venegas.
Has Venegas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Venegas went from 20,851 recorded bearers to 19,986. That is a decrease of 865 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,722 to #1,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Venegas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Venegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Venegas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (18,756 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Venegas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.8%), White (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Venegas (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 Venegas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Venegas, which likely refers to a person from that locality. 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 Venegas (6.69 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 Venegas?
See how many people have the last name Venegas on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.