2000
#1,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,305
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.90
Uncommon Last name
Zepeda
A Spanish habitational surname indicating a person's origin in either of two identically-named towns in Segovia and Palencia, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,994 Americans carry the last name Zepeda. That puts it at #1,197 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zepeda 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
33K
1 in 10,388
Census rank
#1,197
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,772 bearers of the surname Zepeda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1197th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zepeda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zepeda
The surname Zepeda is of Spanish origin, with its roots traceable to the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "cepeda," which means "clump of grass" or "tuft of grass." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with grassy areas or meadows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Zepeda surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a census document from the 13th century that documented the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces. This document mentions individuals with the surname Cepeda, which later evolved into Zepeda.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Zepeda name gained prominence in various regions of Spain, particularly in Andalusia and Extremadura. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Pedro de Zepeda, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Atlantic, the Zepeda surname spread to the Americas, particularly to regions that were part of the Spanish colonial territories, such as Mexico and parts of Central and South America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Zepeda surname in the New World can be found in the records of the Inquisition in Mexico City from the late 16th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Zepeda surname. These include:
1. Cristóbal de Zepeda (1550-1618), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served in the Spanish Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War.
2. Juan de Zepeda (1568-1637), a Spanish painter and sculptor active in Seville during the Baroque period.
3. María de Zepeda (1628-1702), a Spanish nun and mystic who founded the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Seville.
4. José Zepeda (1766-1841), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the Mexican Congress during the early years of the country's independence.
5. Jesús Zepeda (1892-1980), a Mexican artist and painter known for his murals and landscapes depicting the rural life of Mexico.
While the Zepeda surname has its origins in Spain, it has since become widespread across various Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central and South America, where it continues to be a prominent surname to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zepeda
Among Census respondents with the surname Zepeda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Zepeda 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 Zepeda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.8% · 26,988
- White4.8% · 1,381
- Black or African American0.4% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 103
- Two or more races0.3% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zepeda
Zepeda 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
#1,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,252
+7,947 bearers (+37.3%)
Per 100,000 9.92
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#1,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,772
-480 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 9.63
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,545 | 21,305 | 7.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,209 | 29,252 | 9.92 | +7,947 bearers (+37.3%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #1,197 | 28,772 | 9.63 | -480 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 12 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 Zepeda 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 | #1,209 | #1,197 | 1.0% |
| Count | 29,252 | 28,772 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 9.92 | 9.63 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zepeda bearers went from 29,252 to 28,772 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,209 to #1,197.
FAQ
Zepeda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zepeda?
Name Census estimates that about 32,994 living Americans carry the surname Zepeda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,388 residents.
How common is Zepeda?
Zepeda ranks #1,197 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,772 people with the surname Zepeda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Zepeda.
Has Zepeda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zepeda went from 29,252 recorded bearers to 28,772. That is a decrease of 480 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,209 to #1,197.
What does the Census say about the background of Zepeda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zepeda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) 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 Zepeda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (26,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zepeda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.8%), White (4.8%), 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 Zepeda (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 Zepeda mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating a person's origin in either of two identically-named towns in Segovia and Palencia, 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 Zepeda (9.63 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 Zepeda?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Zepeda, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.