2000
#19,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,297
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Villarruel
A surname of Spanish origin indicating someone from a small town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,970 Americans carry the last name Villarruel. That puts it at #16,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 173,987 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villarruel 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
2.0K
1 in 173,987
Census rank
#16,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,718 bearers of the surname Villarruel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villarruel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villarruel
The surname VILLARRUEL has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The name traces its roots back to the 13th century and is believed to be derived from the Spanish words "villa" meaning town or village, and "rruel" which is a variation of the word "real," meaning royal.
This surname is thought to have originated from a small town or village that was once under royal patronage or had some connection to the Spanish monarchy. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this name were residents of such a settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VILLARRUEL can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a historical document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors.
In the 15th century, a man named Juan Villarruel was mentioned in the records of the Inquisition in Cuenca, a city in the province of Castilla-La Mancha. This suggests that the name was established in the region during that time period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname VILLARRUEL. One such person was Francisco Villarruel (1610-1687), a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Salamanca.
Another notable figure was José Villarruel y Villanueva (1765-1824), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French during the Napoleonic era.
In the 19th century, Ignacio Villarruel (1821-1892) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Mexico who served as a senator and played a role in the Reform War.
Mariano Villarruel (1861-1939) was a Mexican sculptor and artist known for his works depicting indigenous people and rural life in Mexico.
Additionally, there was a Spanish writer and journalist named Tomás Villarruel (1884-1958) who was active in the early 20th century.
While the surname VILLARRUEL is not among the most common in Spain or Latin America, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villarruel
Among Census respondents with the surname Villarruel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Villarruel 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 Villarruel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 1,628
- White4.1% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Two or more races0.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villarruel
Villarruel 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
#16,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,775
+478 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 3,074 places
2020
#16,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,718
-57 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,328 | 1,297 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,254 | 1,775 | 0.60 | +478 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 3,074 places |
| 2020 | #16,265 | 1,718 | 0.57 | -57 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 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 Villarruel 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 | #16,254 | #16,265 | -0.1% |
| Count | 1,775 | 1,718 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.57 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villarruel bearers went from 1,775 to 1,718 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,254 to #16,265.
FAQ
Villarruel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villarruel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,970 living Americans carry the surname Villarruel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 173,987 residents.
How common is Villarruel?
Villarruel ranks #16,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,718 people with the surname Villarruel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,970), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Villarruel.
Has Villarruel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villarruel went from 1,775 recorded bearers to 1,718. That is a decrease of 57 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,254 to #16,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Villarruel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villarruel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Villarruel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (1,628 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villarruel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (4.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Villarruel (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 Villarruel mean?
A surname of Spanish origin indicating someone from a small town or 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 Villarruel (0.57 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 Villarruel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.