2010
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Aportela
A surname of Spanish origin referring to someone from the region of Portela.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Aportela. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aportela 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Aportela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aportela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aportela
The surname Aportela is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of Galicia, located in northwestern Spain. The name is derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "portela," which refers to a small mountain pass or gateway.
Historically, the Aportela surname can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was commonly used to identify individuals who lived near or owned land near these mountain passes or gateways. These strategic locations were often fortified and played a crucial role in the control of trade routes and the movement of people and goods.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Aportela surname can be found in the Tombo de Celanova, a medieval cartulary compiled in the 12th century by the Monastery of Celanova in Galicia. This document contains references to individuals with the surname Aportela, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
In the 13th century, the Aportela surname appears in the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, an ancient cartulary from the Cathedral of Lugo, also located in Galicia. This record provides valuable insight into the geographical distribution and prominence of the Aportela family in the area.
One notable figure in history with the Aportela surname was Pedro Aportela, a Galician nobleman who lived in the 14th century and served as a councillor to King Pedro I of Castile (1334-1369).
In the 16th century, Juan Aportela was a renowned Galician physician and author, recognized for his contributions to the field of medicine and his published works on various medical topics.
During the 17th century, the Aportela surname gained recognition with the exploits of Diego Aportela, a Spanish military officer who participated in the conquest of Chile and played a significant role in the colonization efforts in South America.
Another notable individual with the Aportela surname was María Aportela, a Galician writer and poet who lived in the 19th century and was celebrated for her contributions to the literary and cultural revival of the Galician language and literature.
Throughout history, the Aportela surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Portela de Aguiar, Portela de Arcos, and Portela de Homem, all of which are small towns or villages in the Galician region of Spain.
While the Aportela surname has its roots firmly planted in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, as a result of Spanish colonization and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aportela
Among Census respondents with the surname Aportela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aportela 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 Aportela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 100
- White6.5% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aportela
Aportela appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-27 bearers (-20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-20.1%) | Down 24,145 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 Aportela 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 | #127,494 | #151,639 | -18.9% |
| Count | 134 | 107 | -20.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aportela bearers went from 134 to 107 (-20.1% change). The surname moved down 24,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #151,639.
FAQ
Aportela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aportela?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Aportela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Aportela?
Aportela ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Aportela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aportela.
Has Aportela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aportela went from 134 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 27 (-20.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Aportela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aportela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%). 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 Aportela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aportela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (6.5%). 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 Aportela (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 Aportela mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to someone from the region of Portela. 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 Aportela (0.04 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 surname Aportela?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.