2000
#13,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Vizcaino
Denoting a person from the Biscay province of northern Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,666 Americans carry the last name Vizcaino. That puts it at #9,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vizcaino 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
3.7K
1 in 93,495
Census rank
#9,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,197 bearers of the surname Vizcaino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vizcaino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vizcaino
The surname Vizcaino originates from the Basque region of northern Spain. It is derived from the Basque term "bizkaina", meaning a person from the province of Biscay or Vizcaya. Historically, surnames derived from place names emerged in the 11th century as a way to distinguish individuals from different regions.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Vizcaino can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1258, a document from the town of Santander mentioned a person named Sancho Vizcaino. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the mid-13th century among the Basque population.
During the 16th century, the surname Vizcaino became more widespread as the Spanish empire expanded across the Americas and the Philippines. One notable individual was Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548-1624), a Spanish explorer and navigator who led several expeditions to the Pacific Coast of California and the Gulf of California.
Another prominent figure was Joaquín Vizcaíno y Martínez (1765-1809), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who commanded several voyages to the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. He is best known for his exploration of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the discovery of the Columbia River in 1792.
In the 18th century, José Vizcaíno y Biempica (1733-1806) was a Spanish military officer and governor of Chihuahua, Mexico. He played a significant role in suppressing the Tarahumara Revolt, a rebellion of indigenous people against Spanish rule.
During the Mexican War of Independence, Agustín Vizcaíno (1786-1843) was a prominent military leader and supporter of the independence movement. He served as a general in the Mexican army and participated in several battles against the Spanish forces.
In the 19th century, Manuel Vizcaíno y Gutiérrez (1804-1886) was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the governor of Coahuila and Texas. He played a crucial role in the secession of Texas from Mexico and the subsequent Texas Revolution.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Vizcaino throughout history, demonstrating the widespread presence of this Basque-derived name across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vizcaino
Among Census respondents with the surname Vizcaino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vizcaino 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 Vizcaino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 2,985
- White4.7% · 149
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- Two or more races0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vizcaino
Vizcaino 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
#10,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,020
+863 bearers (+40.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 2,428 places
2020
#9,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,197
+177 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,031 | 2,157 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,603 | 3,020 | 1.02 | +863 bearers (+40.0%) | Up 2,428 places |
| 2020 | #9,692 | 3,197 | 1.07 | +177 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 911 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 Vizcaino 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 | #10,603 | #9,692 | 8.6% |
| Count | 3,020 | 3,197 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.07 | 4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vizcaino bearers went from 3,020 to 3,197 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 911 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,603 to #9,692.
FAQ
Vizcaino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vizcaino?
Name Census estimates that about 3,666 living Americans carry the surname Vizcaino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,495 residents.
How common is Vizcaino?
Vizcaino ranks #9,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,197 people with the surname Vizcaino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Vizcaino.
Has Vizcaino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vizcaino went from 3,020 recorded bearers to 3,197. That is an increase of 177 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,603 to #9,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Vizcaino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vizcaino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (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 Vizcaino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,985 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vizcaino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (4.7%), Black (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 Vizcaino (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 Vizcaino mean?
Denoting a person from the Biscay province of northern Spain. 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 Vizcaino (1.07 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 Vizcaino?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Vizcaino at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.