2000
#14,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,945
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Barranco
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ravine, cliff, or precipice.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,171 Americans carry the last name Barranco. That puts it at #10,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barranco 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
3.2K
1 in 108,090
Census rank
#10,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,765 bearers of the surname Barranco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barranco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barranco
The surname Barranco has its origins in Spain, derived from the Spanish word "barranco," which means a ravine or a deep gorge. It is believed to have emerged as a topographic name, referring to people who lived near or worked in such geographical features.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Barranco can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in the areas of Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia. Some of the earliest known bearers of this surname include Pedro Barranco, a landowner in the town of Lleida, Catalonia, in the late 13th century, and Juana Barranco, a resident of Valencia in the early 14th century.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname Barranco gained prominence in Spain, with several notable figures bearing this name. One such individual was Juan Barranco, a renowned painter from Seville who lived from 1545 to 1604. His works, which often depicted religious themes, can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.
Another prominent figure with the surname Barranco was Miguel Barranco, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in Murcia in 1784 and played a significant role in the Spanish resistance against the French occupation.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the surname Barranco also found its way to the New World. One notable bearer of this name was Pedro Barranco, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century alongside Hernán Cortés.
In the 20th century, the surname Barranco gained recognition through the works of the Spanish painter and sculptor Víctor Barranco, who was born in Madrid in 1904 and was known for his contributions to the Cubist and Constructivist movements.
While the surname Barranco has its roots firmly planted in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Latin America, where it can be found in countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, as well as in the United States, particularly among Hispanic communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barranco
Among Census respondents with the surname Barranco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Barranco 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 Barranco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino70.9% · 1,960
- White25.4% · 702
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 51
- Two or more races1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barranco
Barranco 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
#11,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,808
+863 bearers (+44.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 2,911 places
2020
#10,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,765
-43 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,168 | 1,945 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,257 | 2,808 | 0.95 | +863 bearers (+44.4%) | Up 2,911 places |
| 2020 | #10,988 | 2,765 | 0.93 | -43 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 269 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 Barranco 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 | #11,257 | #10,988 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,808 | 2,765 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.93 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barranco bearers went from 2,808 to 2,765 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,257 to #10,988.
FAQ
Barranco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barranco?
Name Census estimates that about 3,171 living Americans carry the surname Barranco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,090 residents.
How common is Barranco?
Barranco ranks #10,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,765 people with the surname Barranco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Barranco.
Has Barranco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barranco went from 2,808 recorded bearers to 2,765. That is a decrease of 43 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,257 to #10,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Barranco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barranco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Barranco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (1,960 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barranco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (70.9%), White (25.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Barranco (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 Barranco mean?
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ravine, cliff, or precipice. 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 Barranco (0.93 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 Barranco?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.