2000
#2,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.93
Uncommon Last name
Amador
A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "lover" or "one who loves," derived from the Latin word "amator."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,976 Americans carry the last name Amador. That puts it at #1,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,195 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amador 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
26K
1 in 13,195
Census rank
#1,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,652 bearers of the surname Amador in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amador, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amador
Among Census respondents with the surname Amador, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Amador 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 Amador surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 20,286
- White7.7% · 1,746
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 349
- Two or more races0.5% · 116
- Black or African American0.4% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amador
Amador 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
#1,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,370
+6,373 bearers (+39.8%)
Per 100,000 7.58
Rank movement Up 478 places
2020
#1,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,652
+282 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 7.58
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,081 | 15,997 | 5.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,603 | 22,370 | 7.58 | +6,373 bearers (+39.8%) | Up 478 places |
| 2020 | #1,543 | 22,652 | 7.58 | +282 bearers (+1.3%) | Up 60 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 Amador 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 | #1,603 | #1,543 | 3.7% |
| Count | 22,370 | 22,652 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.58 | 7.58 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amador bearers went from 22,370 to 22,652 (+1.3% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,603 to #1,543.
FAQ
Amador surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amador?
Name Census estimates that about 25,976 living Americans carry the surname Amador. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,195 residents.
How common is Amador?
Amador ranks #1,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,652 people with the surname Amador. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,976), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Amador.
Has Amador become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amador went from 22,370 recorded bearers to 22,652. That is an increase of 282 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,603 to #1,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Amador?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amador, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) 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 Amador in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (20,286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amador appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (7.7%), 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 Amador (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 Amador mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "lover" or "one who loves," derived from the Latin word "amator." 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 Amador (7.58 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 Americans have the surname Amador?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.