2000
#9,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Villalba
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Villalba in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,523 Americans carry the last name Villalba. That puts it at #6,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villalba 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
5.5K
1 in 62,059
Census rank
#6,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,816 bearers of the surname Villalba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villalba
The surname Villalba is of Spanish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the words "villa" meaning a town or village, and "alba" meaning white or dawn. The name likely originated as a toponymic surname referring to someone who hailed from a place called Villalba, of which there are several in Spain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Villalba can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century Medieval Castilian manuscript that catalogued towns and their lords. This document mentions a place called Villalba de Duero in the province of Soria.
During the 15th century, the surname Villalba appeared in various records across Spain. For instance, a nobleman named Juan de Villalba was documented as serving in the court of King Juan II of Castile (1405-1454). Another notable figure was Pedro de Villalba, a 16th-century Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied the expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña to the Solomon Islands in 1567.
As the name suggests, several places in Spain share the name Villalba, such as Villalba de los Alcores in the province of Valladolid, and Villalba del Alcor in the province of Huelva. These place names likely contributed to the spread and popularity of the surname Villalba.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the surname Villalba was Francisco de Villalba y Angulo (1577-1637), a Spanish painter and sculptor who worked extensively in Mexico during the Baroque period. His notable works include the altarpiece in the church of Santa Prisca in Taxco, Mexico.
Another prominent figure was José Villalba Hervás (1709-1784), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who served as the governor of Montevideo, Uruguay from 1767 to 1776. He played a crucial role in fortifying the city and defending it against Portuguese attacks.
In the 19th century, Manuel Villalba y Hervas (1801-1880) was a renowned Spanish architect who designed several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Palacio de las Cortes, the seat of the Spanish Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villalba
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Villalba 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 Villalba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 4,442
- White5.9% · 284
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 59
- Two or more races0.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villalba
Villalba 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
#6,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,913
+1,628 bearers (+49.6%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 2,277 places
2020
#6,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,816
-97 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,129 | 3,285 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,852 | 4,913 | 1.67 | +1,628 bearers (+49.6%) | Up 2,277 places |
| 2020 | #6,735 | 4,816 | 1.61 | -97 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 117 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 Villalba 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 | #6,852 | #6,735 | 1.7% |
| Count | 4,913 | 4,816 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.61 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villalba bearers went from 4,913 to 4,816 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,852 to #6,735.
FAQ
Villalba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villalba?
Name Census estimates that about 5,523 living Americans carry the surname Villalba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,059 residents.
How common is Villalba?
Villalba ranks #6,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 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 4,816 people with the surname Villalba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,523), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 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 Villalba.
Has Villalba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villalba went from 4,913 recorded bearers to 4,816. That is a decrease of 97 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,852 to #6,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Villalba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Villalba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (4,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villalba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Villalba (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 Villalba mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Villalba in Spain. 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 Villalba (1.61 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 have the last name Villalba?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Villalba on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.