2000
#703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,570
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.52
Uncommon Last name
Villanueva
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of various towns named Villanueva, meaning "new town" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 71,061 Americans carry the last name Villanueva. That puts it at #532 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villanueva 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 Villanueva with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
71K
1 in 4,823
Census rank
#532
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
62K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,969 bearers of the surname Villanueva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 532nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villanueva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%) and White (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villanueva
The surname Villanueva originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish words 'villa' meaning 'town' and 'nueva' meaning 'new', suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived in a new town or village.
The name first appeared in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, where many of the earliest recorded examples can be found. In the 13th century, the name was documented in various records, including the Libro de los Fueros de Cáceres, a collection of laws and privileges granted to the town of Cáceres.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Villanueva was Rodrigo Villanueva, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso X of Castile and León.
In the 15th century, the name Villanueva was associated with the town of Villanueva de la Serena in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. This town was founded in the 13th century and served as an important agricultural and trading center, which may have contributed to the widespread use of the surname in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname Villanueva. One of them was Juan de Villanueva, a renowned Spanish architect born in 1739 and known for designing the Prado Museum in Madrid, among other notable buildings.
Another prominent figure was Antonio de Villanueva y Franquesa, a Spanish military engineer and architect born in 1714. He played a significant role in the construction of several fortifications and military buildings in Spain and the Americas.
In the 19th century, the surname Villanueva was carried by Joaquín Villanueva, a Spanish politician and writer born in 1765. He served as a deputy in the Cortes of Cádiz and was a prominent figure during the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleonic France.
Throughout its history, the surname Villanueva has been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Villanueva del Arzobispo, Villanueva de la Reina, and Villanueva de la Serena, reflecting the origins and spread of the name across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villanueva
Among Census respondents with the surname Villanueva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%) and White (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Villanueva 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 Villanueva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.0% · 49,585
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.4% · 8,321
- White4.6% · 2,852
- Two or more races1.2% · 745
- Black or African American0.5% · 323
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 143
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villanueva
Villanueva 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
#539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,883
+17,313 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 20.98
Rank movement Up 164 places
2020
#532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,969
+86 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 20.73
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #703 | 44,570 | 16.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #539 | 61,883 | 20.98 | +17,313 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 164 places |
| 2020 | #532 | 61,969 | 20.73 | +86 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 7 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 Villanueva 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 | #539 | #532 | 1.3% |
| Count | 61,883 | 61,969 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 20.98 | 20.73 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villanueva bearers went from 61,883 to 61,969 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #539 to #532.
FAQ
Villanueva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villanueva?
Name Census estimates that about 71,061 living Americans carry the surname Villanueva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,823 residents.
How common is Villanueva?
Villanueva ranks #532 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,969 people with the surname Villanueva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (71,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Villanueva.
Has Villanueva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villanueva went from 61,883 recorded bearers to 61,969. That is an increase of 86 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #539 to #532.
What does the Census say about the background of Villanueva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villanueva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%) and White (4.6%). 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 Villanueva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (49,585 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villanueva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%), White (4.6%). 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 Villanueva (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 Villanueva mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of various towns named Villanueva, meaning "new town" in Spanish. 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 Villanueva (20.73 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 Villanueva?
You can see how many people have the surname Villanueva on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.