2000
#1,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.94
Uncommon Last name
Alfaro
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the numerous places named Alfaro, meaning "watchtower" in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,685 Americans carry the last name Alfaro. That puts it at #943 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,222 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alfaro 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
42K
1 in 8,222
Census rank
#943
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,351 bearers of the surname Alfaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 943rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alfaro
The surname Alfaro has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia. It is derived from the Arabic word "al-fawarr," which means "the stream" or "the fountain." This suggests that the name was likely given to people who lived near a stream or a spring.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Alfaro dates back to the 13th century, during the time of the Reconquista, when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula were reclaiming territories from the Moors. It is believed that the name Alfaro may have been adopted by families who lived in or near the town of Alfaro, located in the La Rioja region of northern Spain.
In the 14th century, the name Alfaro appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise written by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a place called "Villa de Alfaro," indicating that the name was associated with a specific location at that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Alfaro was Pedro Alfaro, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. He was born around 1490 and played a role in the fall of the Aztec Empire alongside Hernán Cortés.
In the 17th century, Juan de Alfaro y Gámez (1643-1680) was a prominent Spanish painter and engraver who worked in the Baroque style. He was known for his religious paintings and portraits, and his works can be found in various churches and museums across Spain.
Another notable figure with the surname Alfaro was Juan Alfaro (1701-1780), a Spanish architect and engineer who designed several important buildings in Madrid, including the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and the Church of San Marcos.
In the 19th century, Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Alfaro (1877-1949) was a Spanish politician who served as the first Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic from 1931 to 1933. He played a significant role in the transition from the monarchy to a democratic system in Spain.
The surname Alfaro has also been present in Latin American countries, likely carried by Spanish settlers during the colonial era. One example is Eloy Alfaro (1842-1912), a prominent Ecuadorian politician and military leader who served as the President of Ecuador from 1897 to 1901 and again from 1906 to 1911.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alfaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Alfaro 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 Alfaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.7% · 33,709
- White4.9% · 1,770
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 551
- Two or more races0.4% · 135
- Black or African American0.4% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alfaro
Alfaro 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
#975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,725
+11,617 bearers (+48.2%)
Per 100,000 12.11
Rank movement Up 371 places
2020
#943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,351
+626 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 12.16
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,346 | 24,108 | 8.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #975 | 35,725 | 12.11 | +11,617 bearers (+48.2%) | Up 371 places |
| 2020 | #943 | 36,351 | 12.16 | +626 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 32 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 Alfaro 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 | #975 | #943 | 3.3% |
| Count | 35,725 | 36,351 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.11 | 12.16 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alfaro bearers went from 35,725 to 36,351 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #975 to #943.
FAQ
Alfaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alfaro?
Name Census estimates that about 41,685 living Americans carry the surname Alfaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,222 residents.
How common is Alfaro?
Alfaro ranks #943 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,351 people with the surname Alfaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,685), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Alfaro.
Has Alfaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alfaro went from 35,725 recorded bearers to 36,351. That is an increase of 626 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #975 to #943.
What does the Census say about the background of Alfaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) 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 Alfaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (33,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alfaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.7%), White (4.9%), 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 Alfaro (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 Alfaro mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the numerous places named Alfaro, meaning "watchtower" in Arabic. 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 Alfaro (12.16 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 Alfaro?
Want to know how many people are called Alfaro? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.