2000
#13,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,052
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Villafane
Derived from a place name referring to a low-lying or marshy area overgrown with hay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,819 Americans carry the last name Villafane. That puts it at #12,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villafane 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
2.8K
1 in 121,587
Census rank
#12,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,458 bearers of the surname Villafane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villafane, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villafane
The surname Villafane has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish words "villa," meaning town or village, and "fane," which is a variant of the word "fanum," meaning a temple or sanctuary.
This surname likely originated in regions where there were prominent villas or towns with significant religious structures or temples. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Spain, such as Castile and Aragon.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Villafane was Pedro de Villafane, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista, the campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors in the late 15th century. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership during the conquest of Granada in 1492.
Another notable figure was Juan de Villafane, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and was later granted land and titles in New Spain (modern-day Mexico) for his services.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Villafane family settled in the Americas, particularly in what is now Colombia and Venezuela. One prominent member was Diego de Villafane y Salazar, a Spanish-born military leader and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the province of Cumaná in present-day Venezuela from 1621 to 1628.
During the 18th century, the Villafane surname gained prominence in the arts and literature. One such figure was Manuel de Villafane, a Spanish playwright and poet born in Seville in 1709. His works, which explored themes of love, honor, and social commentary, were widely acclaimed and performed throughout Spain during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Villafane name was associated with the political and intellectual spheres. Mariano Villafane, born in Buenos Aires in 1821, was a renowned Argentine lawyer, writer, and statesman who served as a diplomat and played a pivotal role in shaping the country's legal and political landscape.
As the surname spread across different regions and countries over the centuries, various spellings and variations emerged, such as Villafañe, Villafañez, and Villafaña. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the concept of a villa or town with a significant religious or cultural presence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villafane
Among Census respondents with the surname Villafane, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Villafane 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 Villafane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.2% · 2,218
- White7.0% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 28
- Two or more races0.8% · 20
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villafane
Villafane 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
#12,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,454
+402 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 960 places
2020
#12,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
+4 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,573 | 2,052 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,613 | 2,454 | 0.83 | +402 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 960 places |
| 2020 | #12,104 | 2,458 | 0.82 | +4 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 509 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 Villafane 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 | #12,613 | #12,104 | 4.0% |
| Count | 2,454 | 2,458 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.82 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villafane bearers went from 2,454 to 2,458 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 509 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,613 to #12,104.
FAQ
Villafane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villafane?
Name Census estimates that about 2,819 living Americans carry the surname Villafane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,587 residents.
How common is Villafane?
Villafane ranks #12,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,458 people with the surname Villafane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,819), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Villafane.
Has Villafane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villafane went from 2,454 recorded bearers to 2,458. That is an increase of 4 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,613 to #12,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Villafane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villafane, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Villafane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villafane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.2%), White (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Villafane (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 Villafane mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a low-lying or marshy area overgrown with hay. 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 Villafane (0.82 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 Villafane?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.