2000
#613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.66
Uncommon Last name
Villarreal
A habitational surname indicating an individual originated from any of the various places named Villarreal in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 70,336 Americans carry the last name Villarreal. That puts it at #538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,873 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villarreal 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
70K
1 in 4,873
Census rank
#538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,336 bearers of the surname Villarreal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villarreal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villarreal
The surname Villarreal originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a compound name derived from the Spanish words "villa" meaning town or village, and "real" meaning royal or belonging to the king. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived in or was associated with a royal town or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Villarreal can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in the regions of Castile and Aragon in Spain. It is believed that the name may have been used to distinguish individuals from specific towns or villages that were under royal ownership or patronage.
One of the earliest known references to the name Villarreal is in the Libro de Repartimiento, a medieval document that recorded the distribution of land and property in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Reconquista. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Villarreal, indicating that the name was already established in the region by the 13th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan de Villarreal served as a military commander and diplomat during the reign of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. He played a role in the Spanish conquest of Granada and was later appointed as the governor of the Canary Islands.
Another prominent individual with the surname Villarreal was Pedro de Villarreal, a Spanish theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century. He was a professor at the University of Salamanca and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, a Spanish playwright and poet named Diego de Villarreal y Aguilera gained recognition for his literary works, including plays and poetry collections.
Another notable figure was Francisco de Villarreal, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. He played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and later became a prominent figure in the colonization of New Spain.
Throughout the centuries, the Villarreal surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, scholars, and military personnel, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments associated with this historical name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villarreal
Among Census respondents with the surname Villarreal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Villarreal 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 Villarreal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 56,350
- White7.0% · 4,314
- Black or African American0.3% · 203
- Two or more races0.3% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 137
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villarreal
Villarreal 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
#547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,355
+11,004 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 20.80
Rank movement Up 66 places
2020
#538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,336
-19 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 20.52
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #613 | 50,351 | 18.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #547 | 61,355 | 20.80 | +11,004 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 66 places |
| 2020 | #538 | 61,336 | 20.52 | -19 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 9 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 Villarreal 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 | #547 | #538 | 1.6% |
| Count | 61,355 | 61,336 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 20.80 | 20.52 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villarreal bearers went from 61,355 to 61,336 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #547 to #538.
FAQ
Villarreal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villarreal?
Name Census estimates that about 70,336 living Americans carry the surname Villarreal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,873 residents.
How common is Villarreal?
Villarreal ranks #538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,336 people with the surname Villarreal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (70,336), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Villarreal.
Has Villarreal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villarreal went from 61,355 recorded bearers to 61,336. That is a decrease of 19 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #547 to #538.
What does the Census say about the background of Villarreal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villarreal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Villarreal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (56,350 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villarreal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (7.0%), Black (0.3%). 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 Villarreal (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 Villarreal mean?
A habitational surname indicating an individual originated from any of the various places named Villarreal 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 Villarreal (20.52 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 Villarreal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.