2000
#3,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.19
Uncommon Last name
Amaro
Derived from the Italian word "amaro," meaning "bitter," referring to someone with a sour or unpleasant disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,100 Americans carry the last name Amaro. That puts it at #3,066 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,164 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amaro 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Amaro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,164
Census rank
#3,066
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,424 bearers of the surname Amaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3066th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amaro
The surname Amaro has its roots in the Italian language, originating from the region of Calabria in southern Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "amarus," meaning bitter or sour, and was likely a descriptive name given to someone with a particularly bitter or sour disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amaro can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava de' Tirreni in Campania, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name was in use in southern Italy during that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the historical records of the city of Naples, where a nobleman named Guglielmo Amaro (William Amaro) is mentioned as a prominent figure in the city's government. This indicates that the surname had gained some status and recognition in the region by that period.
During the Renaissance, the Amaro family produced several notable figures, including the painter and architect Girolamo Amaro (1501-1589), who was renowned for his work on various churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.
Another notable individual was the Italian physician and botanist Giovanni Battista Amaro (1555-1637), who is credited with introducing several new plant species to Europe from his travels in the Americas and Asia.
In the 18th century, the Amaro family gained further prominence with the birth of Antonio Amaro (1718-1793), a celebrated composer and musician who served as the maestro di cappella (chapel master) at the famous Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma.
Other notable individuals with the surname Amaro include the Italian writer and journalist Eugenio Amaro (1865-1939), who was known for his work on social and political issues, and the Mexican artist and muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), whose full name was José David Alfaro Siqueiros.
While the name Amaro has its origins in southern Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, likely due to migration and exploration during the colonial era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Amaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Amaro 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 Amaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.7% · 9,795
- White11.7% · 1,333
- Black or African American1.2% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 84
- Two or more races0.4% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amaro
Amaro 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
#3,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,769
+3,176 bearers (+37.0%)
Per 100,000 3.99
Rank movement Up 742 places
2020
#3,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,424
-345 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,784 | 8,593 | 3.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,042 | 11,769 | 3.99 | +3,176 bearers (+37.0%) | Up 742 places |
| 2020 | #3,066 | 11,424 | 3.82 | -345 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 24 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 Amaro 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 | #3,042 | #3,066 | -0.8% |
| Count | 11,769 | 11,424 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.99 | 3.82 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amaro bearers went from 11,769 to 11,424 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,042 to #3,066.
FAQ
Amaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amaro?
Name Census estimates that about 13,100 living Americans carry the surname Amaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,164 residents.
How common is Amaro?
Amaro ranks #3,066 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,424 people with the surname Amaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Amaro.
Has Amaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amaro went from 11,769 recorded bearers to 11,424. That is a decrease of 345 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,042 to #3,066.
What does the Census say about the background of Amaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Amaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (9,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.7%), White (11.7%), Black (1.2%). 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 Amaro (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 Amaro mean?
Derived from the Italian word "amaro," meaning "bitter," referring to someone with a sour or unpleasant disposition. 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 Amaro (3.82 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 Amaro?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.