Find out how popular the last name Amador is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Amador.

Amador, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Amador surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amador in America

Amador is the 1603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amador surname appeared 22,370 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Amador.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amador to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Amador

The surname Amador has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "amador," which means "lover" or "admirer." This word itself stems from the Latin verb "amare," meaning "to love."

Amador was likely an occupational surname given to individuals who demonstrated exceptional romantic or poetic abilities. It may have also been bestowed upon those who exhibited a deep love or admiration for a particular craft, religion, or ideology.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Amador can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions a certain Juan Amador, who was a huntsman in the king's service.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. Records from this time indicate the presence of families with the surname Amador among the nobility and merchant classes.

During the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Fray Luis de Amador (1508-1565), a Spanish Franciscan friar and historian. He authored several works, including the notable "Historia de las Antigüedades de la Isla de Gran Canaria" (History of the Antiquities of the Island of Gran Canaria).

Another notable figure was Juan Amador (1555-1628), a Spanish poet and playwright from Seville. He was renowned for his contributions to the Golden Age of Spanish literature and his works, which included religious plays and lyrical poetry.

In the 18th century, the Amador surname was carried to the Americas during the Spanish colonization efforts. One prominent individual from this era was José Amador de los Ríos (1768-1843), a Spanish historian, and archaeologist who authored several books on Spanish history and architecture.

The 19th century saw the birth of Rodrigo Amador de los Ríos (1849-1917), a Spanish historian, archaeologist, and writer. He was a renowned expert on Spanish art and architecture and served as the director of the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.

Throughout its history, the surname Amador has been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Amador de los Ríos (a municipality in Andalusia) and Cerro del Amador (a hill in Seville). These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Amador surname who had significant ties to those locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amador

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Amador.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Amador was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Amador has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Amador was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Amador, please contact us.

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