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

Beltrán, 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 Beltrán surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beltrán in America

Beltrán is the 692nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beltrán surname appeared 49,776 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Beltrán.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beltrán 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 Beltrán

The surname Beltran has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the Visigothic name "Beltrán," which itself is a compound of the Germanic elements "beraht" meaning "bright" and "hramn" meaning "raven." This combination of meanings suggests a connection to the idea of a "bright raven."

The name Beltran first appeared in written records during the Middle Ages, as early as the 10th century. One of the earliest documented references is in the "Codex Calixtinus," a 12th-century manuscript that chronicles the history and miracles associated with the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.

In the 11th century, the name is found in the "Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla," a collection of documents from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This suggests that the name was prevalent in that region during that period.

The first recorded bearer of the name Beltran was Beltrán de la Cueva, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the 15th century and served as the first Duke of Alburquerque from 1464 to 1492.

Another notable figure with this surname was Beltrán de la Cueva y Toledo, a Spanish soldier and diplomat who was the third Duke of Alburquerque from 1643 to 1669.

In the realm of literature, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Beltran was Gonzalo Beltran, a Spanish poet and dramatist who lived in the 16th century and is known for his contributions to the development of the Spanish Renaissance theater.

Moving to the New World, Pedro Beltran was a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

In the 19th century, Juan Beltran was a Chilean military officer and politician who played a significant role in the Chilean War of Independence against Spain.

Throughout its history, the surname Beltran has been associated with various place names and locations, such as the town of Beltrán in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, and the Beltrán River in Chile.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beltrán

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

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 Beltrán 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 Beltrán 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 Beltrán was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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