2000
#45,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 446
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Abascal
Derived from a Basque place name meaning "by the foothills" or "near the mountain pass."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 588 Americans carry the last name Abascal. That puts it at #44,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 582,916 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abascal 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
588
1 in 582,916
Census rank
#44,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
513
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 513 bearers of the surname Abascal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abascal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abascal
The surname Abascal originated in Spain and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Basque word "abaska," which means "meadow" or "pasture." The earliest known spelling of the name was "Auascal," which was found in a document from the region of Navarre in 1089.
The name Abascal was initially concentrated in the Basque regions of northern Spain, particularly in the provinces of Álava, Vizcaya, and Guipúzcoa. As people migrated throughout Spain and its territories, the name spread to other areas, including the Canary Islands and Spanish colonies in the Americas.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Abascal surname can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías," a medieval census document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the Abascal surname residing in various towns and villages in the Basque Country.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in several historical records, including the "Libro de Bautismos" (Book of Baptisms) of the parish of San Sebastián in Guipúzcoa. One notable figure from this time was Juan de Abascal (1530-1602), a merchant and shipowner from Bilbao who was involved in trade with the Americas.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Abascal surname gained prominence in various fields. One notable individual was José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa (1743-1821), a Spanish military officer and viceroy of Peru from 1806 to 1816. He played a significant role in defending the Spanish colonies against the independence movements.
Another notable figure was Mariano Abascal y Llanos (1777-1852), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Captain General of Cuba from 1825 to 1835. He was instrumental in suppressing several slave revolts on the island during his tenure.
In the 19th century, the Abascal surname was also found in various literary and artistic circles. One example is José Abascal y Carredano (1817-1889), a Spanish painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and portraits.
Throughout history, the Abascal surname has been associated with numerous place names in Spain, such as Abascal-Dulantzi, a municipality in the province of Álava, and Abascal-Arraiz, a village in the province of Navarre.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abascal
Among Census respondents with the surname Abascal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Abascal 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 Abascal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.1% · 457
- White9.6% · 49
- Two or more races0.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abascal
Abascal 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
#42,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 512
+66 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 2,849 places
2020
#44,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 513
+1 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 2,601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,227 | 446 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,378 | 512 | 0.17 | +66 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 2,849 places |
| 2020 | #44,979 | 513 | 0.17 | +1 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 2,601 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 Abascal 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 | #42,378 | #44,979 | -6.1% |
| Count | 512 | 513 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.17 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abascal bearers went from 512 to 513 (+0.2% change). The surname moved down 2,601 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,378 to #44,979.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Abascal
FAQ
Abascal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abascal?
Name Census estimates that about 588 living Americans carry the surname Abascal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 582,916 residents.
How common is Abascal?
Abascal ranks #44,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 513 people with the surname Abascal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Abascal.
Has Abascal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abascal went from 512 recorded bearers to 513. That is an increase of 1 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #42,378 to #44,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Abascal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abascal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.1%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Abascal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abascal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.1%), White (9.6%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Abascal (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 Abascal mean?
Derived from a Basque place name meaning "by the foothills" or "near the mountain pass." 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 Abascal (0.17 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 Abascal?
You can see how many people have the last name Abascal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.