2000
#11,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,641
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Villela
A Spanish habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Villela, meaning "small town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,104 Americans carry the last name Villela. That puts it at #8,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villela 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
4.1K
1 in 83,517
Census rank
#8,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,579 bearers of the surname Villela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villela
The surname Villela originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "villa," meaning a small town or village, and the suffix "-ela," which denotes a diminutive or smaller version. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small village or hamlet.
The earliest recorded instances of the Villela surname can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile and Aragon, where many villages and small towns were established during the Reconquista, the centuries-long period of Christian conquest over Muslim-ruled territories in the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest known references to the Villela name can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript written for King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a place called "Villela" in the province of Soria, suggesting that the surname may have originated from this locality.
During the 15th century, the Villela surname gained prominence in various parts of Spain. Notable individuals from this period include Juan Villela, a renowned painter from Zaragoza who flourished around 1470, and Pedro Villela, a soldier who fought in the conquest of Granada in 1492.
In the 16th century, the Villela name spread beyond Spain to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable figure was Juan de Villela, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
The 17th century saw the rise of Diego de Villela y Aldama, a Spanish noble and military officer who served as Governor of the Philippines from 1671 to 1677. Another prominent individual from this era was Juan de Villela y Moncada, a Spanish-born intellectual and author who lived in Peru and wrote extensively on colonial administration and indigenous affairs.
In the 18th century, the Villela surname continued to be prominent in various parts of the Spanish-speaking world. One noteworthy figure was Manuel de Villela y Gutiérrez, a Mexican-born military officer and politician who served as Governor of Coahuila y Tejas (present-day Texas) from 1746 to 1751.
As the centuries passed, the Villela surname spread to other regions of the world, including Portugal, Italy, and parts of Latin America. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has become a part of the cultural heritage of numerous countries and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villela
Among Census respondents with the surname Villela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Villela 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 Villela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.7% · 3,281
- White6.6% · 237
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- Two or more races0.5% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villela
Villela 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
#8,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,716
+1,075 bearers (+40.7%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 2,230 places
2020
#8,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,579
-137 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,042 | 2,641 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,812 | 3,716 | 1.26 | +1,075 bearers (+40.7%) | Up 2,230 places |
| 2020 | #8,791 | 3,579 | 1.20 | -137 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 21 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 Villela 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 | #8,812 | #8,791 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,716 | 3,579 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.20 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villela bearers went from 3,716 to 3,579 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,812 to #8,791.
FAQ
Villela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villela?
Name Census estimates that about 4,104 living Americans carry the surname Villela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,517 residents.
How common is Villela?
Villela ranks #8,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,579 people with the surname Villela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Villela.
Has Villela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villela went from 3,716 recorded bearers to 3,579. That is a decrease of 137 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,812 to #8,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Villela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Villela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.7%), White (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Villela (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 Villela mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Villela, meaning "small 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 Villela (1.20 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 common is the surname Villela?
Want to know how many people have the surname Villela? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.