2000
#16,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Aburto
Derived from a Basque word meaning "cart" or "wagon," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation involving transportation of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,870 Americans carry the last name Aburto. That puts it at #11,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aburto 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
2.9K
1 in 119,427
Census rank
#11,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,503 bearers of the surname Aburto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aburto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aburto
The surname Aburto has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "abur," which means "to cross over" or "to pass through." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who lived near a river crossing or a mountain pass.
During the Reconquista, the Christian armies retook control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Many Spanish surnames emerged during this time, reflecting the cultural and linguistic influences of the Arab presence in Spain. Aburto is one such name that bears the imprint of this historical period.
The earliest known record of the Aburto surname can be found in the "Becerro de Behetrias," a 14th-century document that documented noble families and their lands. This suggests that the Aburto family may have held a prominent position in certain regions of Spain during that era.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Aburto name was Juan de Aburto, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas. He accompanied Hernán Cortés on his conquest of Mexico and later served as a governor in various regions of the Spanish colonies.
Another historical figure of note was Pedro de Aburto, a Spanish military commander who fought against the Dutch forces during the Eighty Years' War in the 17th century. He played a significant role in the defense of the Spanish Netherlands and was highly regarded for his strategic skills.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the contribution of Félix Aburto, a 19th-century Spanish poet and playwright. His works, which often explored themes of love and nationalism, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and continue to be studied by scholars of Spanish literature.
Turning to the 20th century, Margarita Aburto was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights in Spain. She founded several schools and organizations dedicated to promoting education and empowerment for women, leaving a lasting impact on the social landscape of her time.
Throughout history, the Aburto surname has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Aburto (a municipality in the Basque Country), and Aburto de la Vega (a village in the province of Palencia). These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the close ties between family names and geographic locations in Spanish culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aburto
Among Census respondents with the surname Aburto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Aburto 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 Aburto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 2,373
- White3.8% · 94
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- Two or more races0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aburto
Aburto 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
#11,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,663
+1,035 bearers (+63.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 4,529 places
2020
#11,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,503
-160 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,293 | 1,628 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,764 | 2,663 | 0.90 | +1,035 bearers (+63.6%) | Up 4,529 places |
| 2020 | #11,942 | 2,503 | 0.84 | -160 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 178 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 Aburto 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 | #11,764 | #11,942 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,663 | 2,503 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.84 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aburto bearers went from 2,663 to 2,503 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,764 to #11,942.
FAQ
Aburto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aburto?
Name Census estimates that about 2,870 living Americans carry the surname Aburto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,427 residents.
How common is Aburto?
Aburto ranks #11,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,503 people with the surname Aburto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Aburto.
Has Aburto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aburto went from 2,663 recorded bearers to 2,503. That is a decrease of 160 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,764 to #11,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Aburto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aburto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Aburto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (2,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aburto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (3.8%), Black (0.6%). 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 Aburto (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 Aburto mean?
Derived from a Basque word meaning "cart" or "wagon," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation involving transportation of goods. 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 Aburto (0.84 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 have the last name Aburto?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Aburto at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.