2000
#10,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,791
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Villavicencio
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Villavicencio in Spain or Colombia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,059 Americans carry the last name Villavicencio. That puts it at #7,286 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villavicencio 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
5.1K
1 in 67,751
Census rank
#7,286
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,412 bearers of the surname Villavicencio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7286th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villavicencio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%) and White (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villavicencio
The surname Villavicencio is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname, derived from the town of Villavicencio, which means "the town of Vicente" or "the village of Vicente" in Spanish.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Villavicencio can be found in historical documents from Spain's Castile region, dating back to the 13th century. One notable example is Juan de Villavicencio, a nobleman and military commander who served under King Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Villavicencio name gained prominence in Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. Several members of the family held important positions in the Spanish military and government during this period.
As Spanish exploration and colonization expanded across the Americas, the Villavicencio surname was carried to various regions, including present-day Colombia, where the town of Villavicencio, the capital of the Meta Department, was founded in 1550.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Villavicencio surname in the Americas was Pedro de Villavicencio, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century.
Another notable figure was Antonio de Villavicencio y Núñez, a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile from 1676 to 1679, who played a significant role in the Arauco War against the Mapuche people.
In the 19th century, José Félix Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian writer, journalist, and politician, made significant contributions to the literary and political landscape of his country. He was born in 1837 and is considered one of the most influential figures in Ecuadorian literature.
Miguel de Villavicencio y Arrevillaga, a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippines from 1701 to 1703, also held a prominent position in the Spanish colonial administration.
Lastly, Manuel Villavicencio, an Argentine lawyer and politician born in 1804, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and interim President of Argentina in the mid-19th century, playing a crucial role in the nation's political development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villavicencio
Among Census respondents with the surname Villavicencio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%) and White (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Villavicencio 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 Villavicencio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.2% · 3,801
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 298
- White6.1% · 270
- Two or more races0.5% · 24
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villavicencio
Villavicencio 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
#8,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,102
+1,311 bearers (+47.0%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 2,461 places
2020
#7,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,412
+310 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 796 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,543 | 2,791 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,082 | 4,102 | 1.39 | +1,311 bearers (+47.0%) | Up 2,461 places |
| 2020 | #7,286 | 4,412 | 1.48 | +310 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 796 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 Villavicencio 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 | #8,082 | #7,286 | 9.8% |
| Count | 4,102 | 4,412 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.48 | 6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villavicencio bearers went from 4,102 to 4,412 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 796 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,082 to #7,286.
FAQ
Villavicencio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villavicencio?
Name Census estimates that about 5,059 living Americans carry the surname Villavicencio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,751 residents.
How common is Villavicencio?
Villavicencio ranks #7,286 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,412 people with the surname Villavicencio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,059), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Villavicencio.
Has Villavicencio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villavicencio went from 4,102 recorded bearers to 4,412. That is an increase of 310 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,082 to #7,286.
What does the Census say about the background of Villavicencio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villavicencio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%) and White (6.1%). 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 Villavicencio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (3,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villavicencio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%), White (6.1%). 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 Villavicencio (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 Villavicencio mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Villavicencio in Spain or Colombia. 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 Villavicencio (1.48 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 Villavicencio?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.