2000
#914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.88
Uncommon Last name
Beltran
A Spanish surname derived from the Old French term "beltran," meaning "bright raven" or "fine crow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 56,557 Americans carry the last name Beltran. That puts it at #677 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,060 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beltran 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 Beltran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
57K
1 in 6,060
Census rank
#677
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 49,320 bearers of the surname Beltran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 677th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beltran, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beltran
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beltran
Among Census respondents with the surname Beltran, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Beltran 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 Beltran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.1% · 44,420
- White4.8% · 2,381
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 1,910
- Two or more races0.6% · 281
- Black or African American0.4% · 212
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 116
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beltran
Beltran 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
#692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,776
+15,040 bearers (+43.3%)
Per 100,000 16.87
Rank movement Up 222 places
2020
#677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,320
-456 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 16.50
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #914 | 34,736 | 12.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #692 | 49,776 | 16.87 | +15,040 bearers (+43.3%) | Up 222 places |
| 2020 | #677 | 49,320 | 16.50 | -456 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 15 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 Beltran 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 | #692 | #677 | 2.2% |
| Count | 49,776 | 49,320 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.87 | 16.50 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beltran bearers went from 49,776 to 49,320 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #692 to #677.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beltran
FAQ
Beltran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beltran?
Name Census estimates that about 56,557 living Americans carry the surname Beltran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,060 residents.
How common is Beltran?
Beltran ranks #677 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 49,320 people with the surname Beltran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (56,557), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Beltran.
Has Beltran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beltran went from 49,776 recorded bearers to 49,320. That is a decrease of 456 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #692 to #677.
What does the Census say about the background of Beltran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beltran, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Beltran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (44,420 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beltran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.1%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Beltran (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 Beltran mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Old French term "beltran," meaning "bright raven" or "fine crow." 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 Beltran (16.50 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 Beltran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.