2000
#420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,950
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.93
Common Last name
Campos
A topographic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, referring to someone who lived near fields or meadows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 108,109 Americans carry the last name Campos. That puts it at #328 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 31.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Campos 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Campos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
108K
1 in 3,170
Census rank
#328
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
31.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
94K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 94,276 bearers of the surname Campos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 31.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 328th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Campos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Campos
The surname Campos is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "campo," meaning "field" or "countryside." This name likely originated in Spain during the Middle Ages as a toponymic surname, referring to individuals who lived or worked in rural areas or near fields.
The earliest recorded instances of the Campos surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. It is believed that some variations of the spelling, such as "Campes" or "Campez," existed during this time period.
In the 14th century, the Campos surname appeared in historical records and documents, including the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a medieval manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This book listed several individuals with the surname Campos, indicating their presence in various parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
Notable individuals bearing the Campos surname include:
1. Juan de Campos (c. 1470-1538), a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
2. Tomás de Campos (c. 1530-1603), a Spanish painter and architect known for his work in the Mannerist style.
3. Francisco Campos (1516-1592), a Spanish Dominican friar and theologian who served as the Bishop of Tenerife.
4. José María Campos (1789-1857), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico briefly in 1851.
5. Carlos Campos (1870-1942), a Mexican diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1913 to 1914.
The Campos surname also has connections to various place names in Spain, such as Campo de Criptana, a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, and Campo de Montiel, a historical region in the province of Ciudad Real and Albacete.
As the Spanish empire expanded, the Campos surname spread to other parts of the world, including Latin America and the Philippines, where it is still commonly found today. The name has maintained its connection to rural areas and agricultural communities throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Campos
Among Census respondents with the surname Campos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Campos 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 Campos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 84,309
- White7.6% · 7,184
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 1,577
- Black or African American0.5% · 489
- Two or more races0.5% · 477
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 240
Timeline
Historical Census data for Campos
Campos 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
#323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96,111
+26,161 bearers (+37.4%)
Per 100,000 32.58
Rank movement Up 97 places
2020
#328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 94,276
-1,835 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 31.54
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #420 | 69,950 | 25.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #323 | 96,111 | 32.58 | +26,161 bearers (+37.4%) | Up 97 places |
| 2020 | #328 | 94,276 | 31.54 | -1,835 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 5 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 Campos 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 | #323 | #328 | -1.5% |
| Count | 96,111 | 94,276 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 32.58 | 31.54 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Campos bearers went from 96,111 to 94,276 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #323 to #328.
FAQ
Campos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Campos?
Name Census estimates that about 108,109 living Americans carry the surname Campos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,170 residents.
How common is Campos?
Campos ranks #328 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 31.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 32 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 94,276 people with the surname Campos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (108,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 31.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 31.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 32 of them to have the surname Campos.
Has Campos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Campos went from 96,111 recorded bearers to 94,276. That is a decrease of 1,835 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #323 to #328.
What does the Census say about the background of Campos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Campos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Campos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (84,309 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Campos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), White (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Campos (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 Campos mean?
A topographic surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, referring to someone who lived near fields or meadows. 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 Campos (31.54 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 Campos?
You can see how many people have the surname Campos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.