2000
#917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,684
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.86
Uncommon Last name
Villegas
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from any of the various places named Villegas, meaning "villages" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 54,152 Americans carry the last name Villegas. That puts it at #711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villegas 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 Villegas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,329
Census rank
#711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,223 bearers of the surname Villegas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villegas
The surname Villegas originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish words "villa," meaning town or village, and "vega," referring to a fertile plain or meadow. This suggests that the name likely originated as a place name, referring to a town or village located in a fertile valley or plain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Villegas can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions a location called "Villegas de Bureva," located in the province of Burgos, northern Spain.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical documents, such as the Libro de las Buenas Andanzas e Fortunas, written by Lope García de Salazar, which mentions a person named Sancho de Villegas. Around the same time, the name is also recorded in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition, referring to individuals who were subjected to investigations or trials.
One notable figure with the surname Villegas was Esteban Manuel de Villegas (1589-1669), a Spanish poet and writer from the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was known for his lyrical poetry and translations of classical works.
Another prominent individual was Antonio de Villegas (1655-1719), a Spanish playwright and author who wrote numerous comedies and plays during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, José Villegas (1801-1878) was a Spanish painter and engraver, known for his portraits and religious works. He served as a court painter to Queen Isabella II of Spain.
The surname Villegas can also be found in Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, likely due to Spanish colonization and migration. One example is Manuel Villegas (1840-1923), a Mexican general and politician who served as the interim president of Mexico in 1880.
Additionally, Álvaro Villegas Moreno (1923-2013) was a Colombian political scientist and diplomat who served as the ambassador of Colombia to various countries and international organizations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villegas
Among Census respondents with the surname Villegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Villegas 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 Villegas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.7% · 42,819
- White4.4% · 2,074
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 1,767
- Two or more races0.5% · 225
- Black or African American0.4% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 162
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villegas
Villegas 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
#716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,599
+13,915 bearers (+40.1%)
Per 100,000 16.48
Rank movement Up 201 places
2020
#711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,223
-1,376 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 15.80
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #917 | 34,684 | 12.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #716 | 48,599 | 16.48 | +13,915 bearers (+40.1%) | Up 201 places |
| 2020 | #711 | 47,223 | 15.80 | -1,376 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 5 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 Villegas 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 | #716 | #711 | 0.7% |
| Count | 48,599 | 47,223 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 16.48 | 15.80 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villegas bearers went from 48,599 to 47,223 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #716 to #711.
FAQ
Villegas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villegas?
Name Census estimates that about 54,152 living Americans carry the surname Villegas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,329 residents.
How common is Villegas?
Villegas ranks #711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,223 people with the surname Villegas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (54,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Villegas.
Has Villegas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villegas went from 48,599 recorded bearers to 47,223. That is a decrease of 1,376 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #716 to #711.
What does the Census say about the background of Villegas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Villegas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (42,819 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villegas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.7%), White (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Villegas (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 Villegas mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from any of the various places named Villegas, meaning "villages" in Spanish. 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 Villegas (15.80 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 last name Villegas?
See how common the surname Villegas is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.