2000
#5,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,542
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Verdugo
An occupational surname of Spanish origin referring to an executioner or someone who carries out punishments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,925 Americans carry the last name Verdugo. That puts it at #4,941 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Verdugo 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
7.9K
1 in 43,250
Census rank
#4,941
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,911 bearers of the surname Verdugo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4941st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdugo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Verdugo
The surname Verdugo originated in Spain, likely emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "verdugo," which means "executioner" or "hangman." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname, referring to someone who performed executions or carried out punishments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Verdugo surname is in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The document mentions a person named Juan Fernández Verdugo, who was a member of the royal hunting party.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical records from the region of Castile, including tax rolls and legal documents. One notable figure from this time was Juan Verdugo, a military commander who served under King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the Spanish conquest of Granada in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Verdugo name gained prominence in Spain and its colonies. Among the noteworthy individuals were Alonso Fernández de Verdugo (1545-1609), a Spanish military leader who served as the governor of the Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War, and Juan Verdugo (1619-1692), a Spanish-born painter who worked in Mexico and is known for his religious works.
In the 18th century, the Verdugo surname can be found in records from various regions of Spain, including Andalusia and Catalonia. One example is José Verdugo (1730-1808), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Another notable figure with the Verdugo name was Pedro Verdugo (1767-1842), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French and later served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1824 to 1827.
While the Verdugo surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Latin America and the United States, likely due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns. However, it remains most prevalent in Spain and Hispanic communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Verdugo
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdugo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Verdugo 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 Verdugo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.1% · 6,226
- White7.3% · 502
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 95
- Two or more races0.8% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Verdugo
Verdugo 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
#4,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,210
+1,668 bearers (+30.1%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Up 845 places
2020
#4,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,911
-299 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,730 | 5,542 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,885 | 7,210 | 2.44 | +1,668 bearers (+30.1%) | Up 845 places |
| 2020 | #4,941 | 6,911 | 2.31 | -299 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 56 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 Verdugo 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 | #4,885 | #4,941 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,210 | 6,911 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.44 | 2.31 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Verdugo bearers went from 7,210 to 6,911 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,885 to #4,941.
FAQ
Verdugo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Verdugo?
Name Census estimates that about 7,925 living Americans carry the surname Verdugo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,250 residents.
How common is Verdugo?
Verdugo ranks #4,941 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,911 people with the surname Verdugo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,925), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Verdugo.
Has Verdugo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Verdugo went from 7,210 recorded bearers to 6,911. That is a decrease of 299 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,885 to #4,941.
What does the Census say about the background of Verdugo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdugo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%). 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 Verdugo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (6,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Verdugo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.1%), White (7.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%). 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 Verdugo (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 Verdugo mean?
An occupational surname of Spanish origin referring to an executioner or someone who carries out punishments. 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 Verdugo (2.31 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 Verdugo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.