2000
#7,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Villar
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a person who lived in or near a village or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,259 Americans carry the last name Villar. That puts it at #6,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Villar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,762
Census rank
#6,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,458 bearers of the surname Villar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%) and White (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villar
The surname Villar has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "villa," which means a country house or small rural estate. The name is thought to have referred to someone who lived in or worked on such an estate.
In Spain, the name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in medieval documents and records from these areas. For example, a person named Arnaldus de Villar is mentioned in a document from Aragon dated 1182.
The name Villar is also found in ancient place names, such as Villa Real (Royal Villa) and Villa Nueva (New Villa), which further reinforces its connection to rural settlements or estates. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Villar, Villar-Palasí, and Villarreal.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Pedro Villar, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century. Born in Extremadura around 1500, he joined Francisco Pizarro's expedition to the Inca Empire and played a role in the capture of the Incan leader Atahualpa.
Another prominent individual was Juan Villar y Miñana, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the 17th century (1612-1670). He is particularly known for his religious works and portraits, which can be found in various churches and museums in Spain.
In the 19th century, José Villar y Amigo (1830-1903) was a notable Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and later as the President of the Senate.
Moving into the 20th century, Manuel Villar Arregui (1898-1977) was a prominent Spanish architect, best known for his work on the reconstruction of the city of Santander after it was heavily damaged during the Spanish Civil War.
Finally, one cannot overlook the legacy of Raimundo Villar Buceta (1924-2005), a renowned Spanish sculptor and painter whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. He was particularly known for his abstract and cubist sculptures, which often explored the human form and emotions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villar
Among Census respondents with the surname Villar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%) and White (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Villar 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 Villar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino72.8% · 3,972
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.1% · 714
- White12.4% · 676
- Two or more races1.0% · 54
- Black or African American0.6% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villar
Villar 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
#6,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,530
+1,430 bearers (+34.9%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Up 1,308 places
2020
#6,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,458
-72 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Up 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,494 | 4,100 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,186 | 5,530 | 1.87 | +1,430 bearers (+34.9%) | Up 1,308 places |
| 2020 | #6,045 | 5,458 | 1.83 | -72 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 141 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 Villar 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 | #6,186 | #6,045 | 2.3% |
| Count | 5,530 | 5,458 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.83 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villar bearers went from 5,530 to 5,458 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,186 to #6,045.
FAQ
Villar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villar?
Name Census estimates that about 6,259 living Americans carry the surname Villar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,762 residents.
How common is Villar?
Villar ranks #6,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 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 5,458 people with the surname Villar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 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 Villar.
Has Villar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villar went from 5,530 recorded bearers to 5,458. That is a decrease of 72 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,186 to #6,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Villar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%) and White (12.4%). 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 Villar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (3,972 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (72.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%), White (12.4%). 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 Villar (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 Villar mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to a person who lived in or near a village or town. 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 Villar (1.83 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 surname Villar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.