2000
#1,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.05
Uncommon Last name
Villalobos
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone living near or among wolf-inhabited forests or woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,619 Americans carry the last name Villalobos. That puts it at #923 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villalobos 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
43K
1 in 8,042
Census rank
#923
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,166 bearers of the surname Villalobos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 923rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalobos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villalobos
The surname Villalobos has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish words "villa," meaning town or village, and "lobos," meaning wolves. This combination suggests the name may have originated from a town or village associated with wolves or located in a wooded area where wolves were prevalent.
Villalobos is a toponymic surname, indicating it was initially derived from a place name. Some of the earliest records of the surname can be found in the medieval manuscripts of Castile and León, where various spellings such as Villalupos and Villalovos were used.
In the 13th century, the name Villalobos appeared in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document detailing the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Castilian forces in 1248. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname Villalobos may have been among the settlers or soldiers who participated in the conquest and subsequent repopulation of the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Villalobos was Pedro Fernández de Villalobos, a 14th-century Spanish military leader and courtier who served under King Alfonso XI of Castile. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
Another notable figure was Francisco López de Villalobos, a 16th-century Spanish physician and poet who was born in 1473 and died in 1549. He served as a court physician to King Charles V and is best known for his satirical works, including the poem "Las Sergas de Villalobos," a parody of chivalric romances.
In the 17th century, Juan de Villalobos y Benavides (1593-1657) was a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile from 1639 to 1647. He played a crucial role in the Arauco War, a long-running conflict between the Spanish conquistadors and the Mapuche people in present-day Chile.
During the 18th century, José Cadalso y Vázquez de Andrade (1741-1782), a Spanish writer, poet, and military officer, also bore the surname Villalobos. He is best known for his satirical novel "Noches Lúgubres" (Gloomy Nights), which was influenced by the Enlightenment and criticized societal norms and superstitions.
In the 19th century, Guillermo Villalobos Lopes (1819-1892) was a Guatemalan writer, journalist, and politician who served as President of Guatemala from 1890 to 1892. He is remembered for his efforts to promote education and cultural development in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villalobos
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalobos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Villalobos 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 Villalobos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.2% · 34,995
- White4.3% · 1,581
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 302
- Two or more races0.3% · 110
- Black or African American0.3% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villalobos
Villalobos 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
#919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,754
+10,647 bearers (+39.3%)
Per 100,000 12.80
Rank movement Up 269 places
2020
#923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,166
-588 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 12.43
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,188 | 27,107 | 10.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #919 | 37,754 | 12.80 | +10,647 bearers (+39.3%) | Up 269 places |
| 2020 | #923 | 37,166 | 12.43 | -588 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4 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 Villalobos 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 | #919 | #923 | -0.4% |
| Count | 37,754 | 37,166 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 12.80 | 12.43 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villalobos bearers went from 37,754 to 37,166 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #919 to #923.
FAQ
Villalobos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villalobos?
Name Census estimates that about 42,619 living Americans carry the surname Villalobos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,042 residents.
How common is Villalobos?
Villalobos ranks #923 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,166 people with the surname Villalobos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,619), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Villalobos.
Has Villalobos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villalobos went from 37,754 recorded bearers to 37,166. That is a decrease of 588 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #919 to #923.
What does the Census say about the background of Villalobos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalobos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Villalobos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (34,995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villalobos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.2%), White (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Villalobos (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 Villalobos mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone living near or among wolf-inhabited forests or woods. 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 Villalobos (12.43 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 Villalobos?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Villalobos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.