2000
#3,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,968
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.07
Uncommon Last name
Espino
A Spanish surname derived from the word "espino," referring to a person who lived near a thorny bush or tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,766 Americans carry the last name Espino. That puts it at #2,293 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Espino 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
18K
1 in 19,293
Census rank
#2,293
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,493 bearers of the surname Espino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2293rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Espino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and White (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Espino
The surname Espino is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain. It is derived from the Spanish word "espino," which means "hawthorn" or "thorny bush." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who lived near a hawthorn bush or worked with thorny plants.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Espino can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in Spain. For example, the name appears in a census record from the town of Burgos in 1284, where a certain Juan Espino is listed as a landowner.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Espino surname began to spread across Spain, with notable bearers of the name appearing in various regions. One such individual was Alonso Espino, a renowned physician and scholar who lived in Seville in the late 15th century and authored several treatises on medicine.
As Spain expanded its reach through exploration and colonization, the Espino surname also found its way to the Americas. In the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals bearing this name were among the early Spanish settlers in Mexico and other parts of the New World. For instance, Juan Espino was a prominent landowner and cattle rancher in Nuevo León, Mexico, in the early 1600s.
Another notable figure with the surname Espino was Pedro Espino, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish American War of Independence in the early 19th century. He played a significant role in several battles against the revolutionary forces and was later awarded the title of Marqués de Espino for his service.
Throughout history, the Espino surname has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Espino de la Orbada in the province of Salamanca, and Espino de Rey in the province of Burgos. These place names likely derived from the presence of hawthorn bushes or thorny vegetation in those areas.
In summary, the surname Espino has a rich history tracing back to medieval Spain, where it originated from the Spanish word for "hawthorn" or "thorny bush." The name has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, including medicine, military, and exploration, and has also been linked to several place names throughout Spain and its former colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Espino
Among Census respondents with the surname Espino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and White (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Espino 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 Espino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.1% · 13,953
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 796
- White3.8% · 586
- Two or more races0.4% · 66
- Black or African American0.3% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Espino
Espino 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
#2,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,997
+5,029 bearers (+45.9%)
Per 100,000 5.42
Rank movement Up 752 places
2020
#2,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,493
-504 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.18
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,030 | 10,968 | 4.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,278 | 15,997 | 5.42 | +5,029 bearers (+45.9%) | Up 752 places |
| 2020 | #2,293 | 15,493 | 5.18 | -504 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 15 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 Espino 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 | #2,278 | #2,293 | -0.7% |
| Count | 15,997 | 15,493 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.42 | 5.18 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Espino bearers went from 15,997 to 15,493 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,278 to #2,293.
FAQ
Espino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Espino?
Name Census estimates that about 17,766 living Americans carry the surname Espino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,293 residents.
How common is Espino?
Espino ranks #2,293 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,493 people with the surname Espino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,766), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Espino.
Has Espino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Espino went from 15,997 recorded bearers to 15,493. That is a decrease of 504 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,278 to #2,293.
What does the Census say about the background of Espino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Espino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and White (3.8%). 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 Espino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (13,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Espino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%), White (3.8%). 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 Espino (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 Espino mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "espino," referring to a person who lived near a thorny bush or tree. 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 Espino (5.18 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 Americans have the surname Espino?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.