2000
#10,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Virgen
A Spanish surname referring to the Virgin Mary or someone who is pure or chaste.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,954 Americans carry the last name Virgen. That puts it at #9,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Virgen 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
4.0K
1 in 86,685
Census rank
#9,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,448 bearers of the surname Virgen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Virgen, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Virgen
The surname Virgen originated in Spain, likely in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period, around the 15th or 16th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "virgen," meaning "virgin," which in turn comes from the Latin word "virgo," also meaning "virgin" or "maiden."
The name Virgen may have been given to individuals who lived near churches or monasteries dedicated to the Virgin Mary, or it could have been a descriptive surname given to someone known for their purity or chastity. It's also possible that the name was initially a nickname or a reference to someone's occupation, such as a nun or a member of a religious order.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Virgen can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a certain Juan Virgen was mentioned in 1492. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jerónimo Virgen (born around 1520) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He was also one of the founders of the city of Trujillo in present-day Peru.
Another individual with the surname Virgen was Francisco Virgen (1609-1668), a Spanish Franciscan friar who served as a missionary in New Spain (present-day Mexico) and is known for his efforts in evangelizing and educating the indigenous population.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Juan Virgen y Ochoa (1719-1783) was a Spanish military officer and governor of the province of Sonora in New Spain (now part of Mexico).
Moving to the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Virgen surname was José María Virgen y Baca (1807-1878), a Mexican politician and military officer who served as governor of the state of Coahuila.
While the surname Virgen is more commonly found in Spain and Latin American countries with Spanish heritage, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Virgen
Among Census respondents with the surname Virgen, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Virgen 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 Virgen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.8% · 3,337
- White2.4% · 82
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
- Two or more races0.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Virgen
Virgen 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
#8,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,898
+1,110 bearers (+39.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 2,087 places
2020
#9,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,448
-450 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 632 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,557 | 2,788 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,470 | 3,898 | 1.32 | +1,110 bearers (+39.8%) | Up 2,087 places |
| 2020 | #9,102 | 3,448 | 1.15 | -450 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 632 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 Virgen 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 | #8,470 | #9,102 | -7.5% |
| Count | 3,898 | 3,448 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.15 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Virgen bearers went from 3,898 to 3,448 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 632 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,470 to #9,102.
FAQ
Virgen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Virgen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,954 living Americans carry the surname Virgen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,685 residents.
How common is Virgen?
Virgen ranks #9,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,448 people with the surname Virgen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,954), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Virgen.
Has Virgen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Virgen went from 3,898 recorded bearers to 3,448. That is a decrease of 450 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,470 to #9,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Virgen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Virgen, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Virgen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (3,337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Virgen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.8%), White (2.4%), Black (0.4%). 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 Virgen (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 Virgen mean?
A Spanish surname referring to the Virgin Mary or someone who is pure or chaste. 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 Virgen (1.15 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 are called Virgen?
Find out how many people have the surname Virgen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.