2000
#3,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.55
Uncommon Last name
Berrios
A Spanish surname derived from the word "berro" meaning "watercress," likely referring to someone who lived near a watercress patch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,232 Americans carry the last name Berrios. That puts it at #2,649 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berrios 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
15K
1 in 22,502
Census rank
#2,649
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,283 bearers of the surname Berrios in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2649th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berrios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berrios
The surname Berrios has its origins in Spain, and it is believed to have emerged in the 8th century during the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Arabic word "barri," which means "desert" or "wilderness." This suggests that the name may have been given to families who lived in remote or desolate areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berrios can be found in the Liber Feudorum Maior, a medieval cartulary from the Kingdom of Aragon, dated around the 12th century. It mentions a landowner named Rodrigo de Berrios, who held properties in the region of Valencia.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in several official documents from the Kingdom of Castile, including a charter issued by King Alfonso X in 1254, which granted land to a nobleman named Pedro Berrios in recognition of his military service.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Berrios family played a prominent role in the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Notably, Juan de Berrios, born in 1492 in Seville, was one of the first Spanish settlers in the region that is now known as Colombia. He established the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia in 1541.
Another notable figure was Alonso de Berrios, born in 1525 in Granada, who accompanied the conquistador Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru. Berrios played a crucial role in the conquest of the Inca Empire and later served as a royal official in the Viceroyalty of Peru.
In the 17th century, the Berrios name appeared in various records from the Spanish colonial administration in the Philippines. One notable figure was Diego de Berrios, a Spanish military officer who served as the Governor of the Philippine Islands from 1629 to 1632.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Berrios surname was Manuel Berrios, a Chilean politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the President of Chile from 1886 to 1891.
The surname Berrios has also been associated with several notable writers and artists throughout history. One example is the Mexican novelist and poet, Juan José Berrios, born in 1893, who was known for his works that explored themes of Mexican identity and social justice.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berrios
Among Census respondents with the surname Berrios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Berrios 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 Berrios surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.4% · 12,145
- White6.2% · 826
- Black or African American1.3% · 179
- Two or more races0.5% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berrios
Berrios 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
#2,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,451
+2,861 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 4.22
Rank movement Up 530 places
2020
#2,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,283
+832 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 4.44
Rank movement Up 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,415 | 9,590 | 3.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,885 | 12,451 | 4.22 | +2,861 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 530 places |
| 2020 | #2,649 | 13,283 | 4.44 | +832 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 236 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 Berrios 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 | #2,885 | #2,649 | 8.2% |
| Count | 12,451 | 13,283 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.22 | 4.44 | 5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berrios bearers went from 12,451 to 13,283 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,885 to #2,649.
FAQ
Berrios surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berrios?
Name Census estimates that about 15,232 living Americans carry the surname Berrios. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,502 residents.
How common is Berrios?
Berrios ranks #2,649 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,283 people with the surname Berrios. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,232), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Berrios.
Has Berrios become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berrios went from 12,451 recorded bearers to 13,283. That is an increase of 832 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,885 to #2,649.
What does the Census say about the background of Berrios?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berrios, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Berrios in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (12,145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berrios appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.4%), White (6.2%), Black (1.3%). 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 Berrios (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 Berrios mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "berro" meaning "watercress," likely referring to someone who lived near a watercress patch. 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 Berrios (4.44 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 Berrios?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.