2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Berrellez
A surname originating from Spanish meaning "small bear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Berrellez. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berrellez 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Berrellez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berrellez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berrellez
The surname Berrellez originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "berrueco," which means a small hill or mound. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in records from the region of Castile in central Spain. Variations of the spelling included Berrueco, Berruezo, and Berrueco de Bureba, which was a town in the province of Burgos.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in a land grant document from 1287, where a man named Rodrigo Berrueco was granted a small plot of land near the town of Bureba. This suggests that the name may have originated in that area.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in records from the town of Valladolid, which was a prominent city in Castile. A notable figure with this surname was Juan Berrueco, a merchant who lived in Valladolid during the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in the late 1400s.
As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Berrellez spread to other parts of the world, including the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was Juan Berrellez, a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the 1520s.
Another notable individual with this surname was Alonso Berrellez, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Francisco Vázquez de Coronado on his expedition to the American Southwest in the 1540s. Berrellez is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in what is now the state of Kansas.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Berrellez family settled in the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. One member of this branch was Diego Berrellez, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Seville in the late 1700s.
As the Berrellez surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies, it underwent various spelling changes and adaptations. However, the connection to the original meaning of a small hill or mound remained a common thread throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berrellez
Among Census respondents with the surname Berrellez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Berrellez 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 Berrellez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.5% · 119
- White2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berrellez
Berrellez 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+33 bearers (+31.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 20,360 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-16 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +33 bearers (+31.4%) | Up 20,360 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,977 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 Berrellez 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 | #124,548 | #140,525 | -12.8% |
| Count | 138 | 122 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berrellez bearers went from 138 to 122 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,977 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #140,525.
FAQ
Berrellez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berrellez?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Berrellez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Berrellez?
Berrellez ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Berrellez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Berrellez.
Has Berrellez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berrellez went from 138 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Berrellez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berrellez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%). 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 Berrellez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berrellez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.5%), White (2.5%). 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 Berrellez (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 Berrellez mean?
A surname originating from Spanish meaning "small bear". 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 Berrellez (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 common is the surname Berrellez?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Berrellez at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.