2000
#59,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Verdecia
A Spanish surname derived from the word "verde" meaning green.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 788 Americans carry the last name Verdecia. That puts it at #35,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 434,967 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Verdecia 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
788
1 in 434,967
Census rank
#35,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
687
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 687 bearers of the surname Verdecia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdecia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Verdecia
The surname Verdecia originates from Spain, specifically the Galicia region in the northwest of the country. The name can be traced back to the early 15th century and is believed to derive from the Spanish word "verde," meaning green, likely referring to a family or individual associated with a lush, fertile area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Verdecia name appears in a collection of parish records from the town of Pontevedra, Galicia, dating back to the mid-1400s. These records document several families bearing the name, including a Pedro Verdecia and his wife, María González.
In the late 16th century, the Verdecia name can be found in various administrative documents from the city of Santiago de Compostela, a major cultural and religious center in Galicia. These records suggest that the Verdecia family held a prominent position within the community during this time.
The Verdecia surname is also mentioned in several historical texts from the 17th and 18th centuries, including a chronicle of notable families in the region of Galicia. One notable individual from this period was Juan Verdecia, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Ribadavia in the late 1600s.
As the centuries progressed, the Verdecia name spread beyond the borders of Galicia, with families bearing the surname establishing themselves in other parts of Spain, as well as in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. Notable individuals with the Verdecia surname include:
1. Antonio Verdecia (1794-1862), a Cuban military officer and independence activist who fought against Spanish colonial rule.
2. Juana Verdecia (1812-1888), a renowned Cuban poet and essayist whose works explored themes of patriotism and social justice.
3. Manuel Verdecia (1867-1935), a Spanish-born architect who designed several iconic buildings in Havana, Cuba.
4. Rosa Verdecia (1901-1978), a Mexican artist known for her vibrant portraits and landscape paintings.
5. Andrés Verdecia (1924-2008), a Cuban-American writer and academic whose novels explored the experiences of Cuban exiles in the United States.
While the Verdecia name has its roots in the Galicia region of Spain, it has since become dispersed across various countries and cultures, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of families bearing this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Verdecia
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdecia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Verdecia 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 Verdecia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.5% · 649
- White4.8% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Verdecia
Verdecia 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
#39,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 552
+236 bearers (+74.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 19,996 places
2020
#35,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 687
+135 bearers (+24.5%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 4,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,769 | 316 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,773 | 552 | 0.19 | +236 bearers (+74.7%) | Up 19,996 places |
| 2020 | #35,309 | 687 | 0.23 | +135 bearers (+24.5%) | Up 4,464 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 Verdecia 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 | #39,773 | #35,309 | 11.2% |
| Count | 552 | 687 | 24.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.23 | 21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Verdecia bearers went from 552 to 687 (+24.5% change). The surname moved up 4,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,773 to #35,309.
FAQ
Verdecia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Verdecia?
Name Census estimates that about 788 living Americans carry the surname Verdecia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 434,967 residents.
How common is Verdecia?
Verdecia ranks #35,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 687 people with the surname Verdecia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Verdecia.
Has Verdecia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Verdecia went from 552 recorded bearers to 687. That is an increase of 135 (+24.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,773 to #35,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Verdecia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdecia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Verdecia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (649 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Verdecia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.5%), White (4.8%), Black (0.6%). 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 Verdecia (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 Verdecia mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "verde" meaning green. 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 Verdecia (0.23 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 are called Verdecia?
Find out how common the surname Verdecia is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.