2000
#530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,441
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.92
Uncommon Last name
Fuentes
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near springs or fountains.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 95,072 Americans carry the last name Fuentes. That puts it at #377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuentes 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 Fuentes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
95K
1 in 3,605
Census rank
#377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
83K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 82,907 bearers of the surname Fuentes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuentes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fuentes
The surname Fuentes is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "fuente" meaning "fountain" or "spring" in English. It likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a natural spring or well.
The name can be traced back to the medieval era in Spain, with early records showing variations such as Fuente, Fonte, and Fontana. These variations reflect the influence of different regional dialects and the transition from Latin to Spanish.
One of the earliest known references to the name Fuentes appears in the Becerro de Repartimiento, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Seville after the Reconquista. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Fuentes, indicating their presence in the region.
In the 15th century, the surname Fuentes gained prominence with the birth of Alonso de Fuentes (c. 1460-1510), a Spanish composer and musician who served at the court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. His works, including sacred music and secular songs, were widely recognized during the Renaissance period.
Another notable figure with the surname Fuentes was Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566), a Spanish Dominican friar and historian. He is renowned for his advocacy for the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas and his efforts to abolish the encomienda system, which subjected Native Americans to forced labor.
During the 16th century, the surname Fuentes also appeared in various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One prominent individual was Pedro de Fuentes (c. 1520-1578), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and later served as the alcalde (mayor) of Santiago de los Caballeros, the first capital of Guatemala.
In the realm of literature, Juan de la Cueva (1543-1612), a Spanish poet and dramatist from Seville, carried the surname Fuentes. He is considered a significant figure in the development of Spanish theater and is credited with introducing the use of verse in dramatic works.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Fuentes spread to various regions, including the Philippines, where it is still widely found today. In the 19th century, a notable figure was Marcelo H. del Pilar (1850-1896), a Filipino writer and journalist who used the pen name Plaridel. He played a crucial role in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuentes
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuentes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuentes 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 Fuentes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 76,693
- White4.8% · 3,998
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 1,228
- Black or African American0.5% · 421
- Two or more races0.4% · 339
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 228
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuentes
Fuentes 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
#394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 81,006
+24,565 bearers (+43.5%)
Per 100,000 27.46
Rank movement Up 136 places
2020
#377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 82,907
+1,901 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 27.74
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #530 | 56,441 | 20.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #394 | 81,006 | 27.46 | +24,565 bearers (+43.5%) | Up 136 places |
| 2020 | #377 | 82,907 | 27.74 | +1,901 bearers (+2.3%) | Up 17 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 Fuentes 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 | #394 | #377 | 4.3% |
| Count | 81,006 | 82,907 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 27.46 | 27.74 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuentes bearers went from 81,006 to 82,907 (+2.3% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #394 to #377.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fuentes
FAQ
Fuentes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuentes?
Name Census estimates that about 95,072 living Americans carry the surname Fuentes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,605 residents.
How common is Fuentes?
Fuentes ranks #377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 82,907 people with the surname Fuentes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (95,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Fuentes.
Has Fuentes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuentes went from 81,006 recorded bearers to 82,907. That is an increase of 1,901 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #394 to #377.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuentes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuentes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Fuentes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (76,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuentes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Fuentes (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 Fuentes mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near springs or fountains. 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 Fuentes (27.74 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 share the surname Fuentes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.