2000
#1,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.87
Uncommon Last name
Hinojosa
A locational surname referring to someone from a place abundant with fennel plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,175 Americans carry the last name Hinojosa. That puts it at #1,353 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinojosa 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
29K
1 in 11,748
Census rank
#1,353
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,442 bearers of the surname Hinojosa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1353rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinojosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinojosa
The surname Hinojosa originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish words "hinojo," meaning fennel, and "osa," a feminine suffix denoting abundance, indicating that the name likely referred to a place where fennel was plentiful.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the medieval Spanish manuscript, the Codex Calixtinus, which dates back to the 12th century. This document mentions a knight named Rodrigo de Hinojosa, who participated in the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
In the 13th century, the name Hinojosa was also associated with several towns and villages in different regions of Spain, such as Hinojosa del Duque in the province of Córdoba, and Hinojosa de San Vicente in the province of Toledo. These place names likely contributed to the spread and establishment of the surname.
During the 15th century, the name Hinojosa gained prominence with the birth of Juan de Hinojosa (1452-1523), a Spanish soldier and nobleman who served as the viceroy of Naples under King Ferdinand II of Aragon. He played a significant role in the Italian Wars and the expansion of Spanish influence in Italy.
Another notable figure was Pedro de Hinojosa (1479-1528), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He was appointed as the first governor of the province of Pánuco and later participated in the exploration and colonization of present-day Honduras.
In the 16th century, the surname Hinojosa was also associated with the Spanish writer and humanist, Juan de Hinojosa y Montalvo (1532-1604), who was born in the town of Hinojosa del Duque and served as a professor of rhetoric and philosophy at the University of Salamanca.
During the 17th century, the name Hinojosa gained recognition in the New World with the birth of Juan de Hinojosa y Monroy (1629-1683), a Spanish-Mexican landowner and military officer who played a crucial role in the defense of New Mexico against indigenous revolts and the expansion of Spanish settlements in the region.
Throughout history, the surname Hinojosa has been carried by numerous individuals from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and widespread influence of Spain across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinojosa
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinojosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinojosa 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 Hinojosa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 23,728
- White5.8% · 1,476
- Two or more races0.3% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 58
- Black or African American0.1% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinojosa
Hinojosa 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
#1,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,146
+4,918 bearers (+23.2%)
Per 100,000 8.86
Rank movement Up 200 places
2020
#1,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,442
-704 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 8.51
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,552 | 21,228 | 7.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,352 | 26,146 | 8.86 | +4,918 bearers (+23.2%) | Up 200 places |
| 2020 | #1,353 | 25,442 | 8.51 | -704 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 1 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 Hinojosa 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 | #1,352 | #1,353 | -0.1% |
| Count | 26,146 | 25,442 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.86 | 8.51 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinojosa bearers went from 26,146 to 25,442 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,352 to #1,353.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hinojosa
FAQ
Hinojosa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinojosa?
Name Census estimates that about 29,175 living Americans carry the surname Hinojosa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,748 residents.
How common is Hinojosa?
Hinojosa ranks #1,353 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,442 people with the surname Hinojosa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Hinojosa.
Has Hinojosa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinojosa went from 26,146 recorded bearers to 25,442. That is a decrease of 704 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,352 to #1,353.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinojosa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinojosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Hinojosa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (23,728 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinojosa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (5.8%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Hinojosa (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 Hinojosa mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place abundant with fennel plants. 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 Hinojosa (8.51 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 Hinojosa?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Hinojosa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.