2000
#8,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Alatorre
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near or originated from a tower or watchtower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,266 Americans carry the last name Alatorre. That puts it at #7,044 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alatorre 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
5.3K
1 in 65,088
Census rank
#7,044
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,592 bearers of the surname Alatorre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7044th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alatorre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alatorre
The surname Alatorre has its origins in Spain, and it is believed to have emerged in the 15th or 16th century. The name is derived from the Spanish words "ala," meaning "wing," and "torre," meaning "tower." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a tower with wings or a tower with a distinctive shape resembling wings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alatorre can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, Spain, where it appears in documents dating back to the late 16th century. It is likely that the name originated in the region of Andalusia, where Seville is located.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname Alatorre. One example is Juan de Alatorre, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the reign of King Philip IV in the early 17th century.
Another prominent figure with this surname was María Alatorre, a Spanish writer and poet who lived in the late 18th century. Her collection of poems, titled "Cantos de una Alma Apasionada" (Songs of a Passionate Soul), was widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Alatorre surname began to spread beyond Spain, as some individuals bearing this name migrated to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico and Argentina. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Andrés Alatorre, a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as a senator in the Mexican Congress in the latter half of the 19th century.
During the 20th century, several individuals with the Alatorre surname made significant contributions in various fields. One such individual was Antonio Alatorre, a renowned Mexican scholar and literary critic who specialized in the study of the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was born in 1922 and passed away in 2010.
Another notable figure from the 20th century was Claudia Alatorre, a Mexican actress and producer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career, which spanned from the 1960s to the 2000s.
While the surname Alatorre may not be as widely recognized as some other Spanish surnames, its history and origin can be traced back several centuries, and it has been borne by a number of notable individuals throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alatorre
Among Census respondents with the surname Alatorre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Alatorre 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 Alatorre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 4,365
- White4.1% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 20
- Black or African American0.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alatorre
Alatorre 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
#7,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,759
+1,414 bearers (+42.3%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 1,955 places
2020
#7,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,592
-167 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,986 | 3,345 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,031 | 4,759 | 1.61 | +1,414 bearers (+42.3%) | Up 1,955 places |
| 2020 | #7,044 | 4,592 | 1.54 | -167 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13 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 Alatorre 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 | #7,031 | #7,044 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,759 | 4,592 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.54 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alatorre bearers went from 4,759 to 4,592 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,031 to #7,044.
FAQ
Alatorre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alatorre?
Name Census estimates that about 5,266 living Americans carry the surname Alatorre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,088 residents.
How common is Alatorre?
Alatorre ranks #7,044 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,592 people with the surname Alatorre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Alatorre.
Has Alatorre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alatorre went from 4,759 recorded bearers to 4,592. That is a decrease of 167 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,031 to #7,044.
What does the Census say about the background of Alatorre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alatorre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Alatorre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (4,365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alatorre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Alatorre (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 Alatorre mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near or originated from a tower or watchtower. 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 Alatorre (1.54 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 Alatorre?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.