2000
#10,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Villagran
A Spanish habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Villagrán, meaning "big town" or "big village."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,981 Americans carry the last name Villagran. That puts it at #9,030 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villagran 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 86,098
Census rank
#9,030
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,472 bearers of the surname Villagran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9030th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villagran, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villagran
The surname Villagran has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish phrase "villa grande," which translates to "large town" or "large village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who hailed from a prominent or sizable village or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Villagran surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century, which documented the names of prominent families and landowners in various regions of Spain. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile and León.
During the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the Villagran surname was Pedro de Villagran, who served as a military commander under the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. He played a crucial role in the conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, in 1492.
In the 16th century, the Villagran name gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. One of the most notable individuals was Francisco de Villagran, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile alongside Pedro de Valdivia. He later became the Governor of Chile from 1554 to 1557.
Another prominent figure was Gaspar de Villagran, a Spanish soldier and poet who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. He is renowned for his epic poem "Historia de la Nueva México," which chronicled the early exploration and settlement of the region that would later become New Mexico.
In the 17th century, Juan de Villagran y Arellano was a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of New Mexico from 1663 to 1668. He played a pivotal role in defending the region against indigenous uprisings and maintaining Spanish control over the territory.
The Villagran surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain and its former colonies. For example, there is a municipality called Villagrán in the Spanish province of Guipúzcoa, as well as a town named Villa Gran in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, which may have derived its name from the Villagran surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villagran
Among Census respondents with the surname Villagran, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Villagran 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 Villagran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.9% · 3,259
- White5.1% · 178
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- Two or more races0.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villagran
Villagran 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
#8,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,659
+929 bearers (+34.0%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 1,784 places
2020
#9,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,472
-187 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,730 | 2,730 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,946 | 3,659 | 1.24 | +929 bearers (+34.0%) | Up 1,784 places |
| 2020 | #9,030 | 3,472 | 1.16 | -187 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 84 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 Villagran 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 | #8,946 | #9,030 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,659 | 3,472 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.16 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villagran bearers went from 3,659 to 3,472 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,946 to #9,030.
FAQ
Villagran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villagran?
Name Census estimates that about 3,981 living Americans carry the surname Villagran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,098 residents.
How common is Villagran?
Villagran ranks #9,030 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,472 people with the surname Villagran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,981), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Villagran.
Has Villagran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villagran went from 3,659 recorded bearers to 3,472. That is a decrease of 187 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,946 to #9,030.
What does the Census say about the background of Villagran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villagran, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Villagran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (3,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villagran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.9%), White (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Villagran (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 Villagran mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Villagrán, meaning "big town" or "big village." 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 Villagran (1.16 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 Villagran?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.