2000
#18,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,384
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Betances
A Spanish habitational surname referring to a place named Betanzos in Galicia, possibly derived from a Celtic word meaning "riverbank."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,553 Americans carry the last name Betances. That puts it at #13,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Betances 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
2.6K
1 in 134,256
Census rank
#13,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,226 bearers of the surname Betances in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Betances, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Betances
The surname BETANCES originated in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "betanza," which means a place where beets are grown. This indicates that the name likely originated from a place name or a nickname related to someone who grew beets or lived near a beet field.
The earliest recorded instances of the BETANCES surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria. It is believed that the name may have evolved from the place name "Betanzos," a town located in the province of A Coruña, Galicia.
One of the earliest known references to the BETANCES surname can be found in the medieval records of the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana in Cantabria, where a person named Pedro Betances was mentioned in a document dated around 1270.
In the 15th century, the BETANCES surname appeared in various historical records, including the "Libro de las Behetrías" (Book of Behetrías), which was a compilation of documents related to land ownership and taxation in the kingdoms of Castile and León during the reign of Pedro I of Castile (1334-1369).
One notable figure with the BETANCES surname was Ramón Emeterio Betances (1827-1898), a Puerto Rican patriot, doctor, and revolutionary who played a crucial role in the island's struggle for independence from Spain. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Puerto Rican history and is often referred to as the "Father of the Puerto Rican Nation."
Another prominent individual with the BETANCES surname was Tomás Betances (1858-1945), a Puerto Rican musician, composer, and bandleader who is considered one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican danza music. He composed several well-known danzas, including "La Criollita" and "La Palomita."
In the realm of literature, the BETANCES surname is associated with the Puerto Rican poet and writer Esmeralda Santiago (born 1948), whose memoir "When I Was Puerto Rican" (1993) received critical acclaim and shed light on the experiences of Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States.
The BETANCES surname has also been present in the world of sports, with notable figures such as Rubén Betances (born 1988), a professional baseball pitcher who has played for the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball.
Additionally, the BETANCES surname has been carried by individuals in various fields, including politics, academia, and the arts, further contributing to its historical and cultural significance across different regions and contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Betances
Among Census respondents with the surname Betances, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Betances 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 Betances surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.6% · 2,084
- White4.6% · 102
- Black or African American1.1% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Betances
Betances 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
#14,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,981
+597 bearers (+43.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 3,488 places
2020
#13,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,226
+245 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 1,772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,425 | 1,384 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,937 | 1,981 | 0.67 | +597 bearers (+43.1%) | Up 3,488 places |
| 2020 | #13,165 | 2,226 | 0.74 | +245 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 1,772 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 Betances 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 | #14,937 | #13,165 | 11.9% |
| Count | 1,981 | 2,226 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.74 | 11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Betances bearers went from 1,981 to 2,226 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 1,772 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,937 to #13,165.
FAQ
Betances surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Betances?
Name Census estimates that about 2,553 living Americans carry the surname Betances. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,256 residents.
How common is Betances?
Betances ranks #13,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,226 people with the surname Betances. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,553), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Betances.
Has Betances become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Betances went from 1,981 recorded bearers to 2,226. That is an increase of 245 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,937 to #13,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Betances?
Among Census respondents with the surname Betances, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Black (1.1%). 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 Betances in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Betances appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.6%), White (4.6%), Black (1.1%). 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 Betances (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 Betances mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to a place named Betanzos in Galicia, possibly derived from a Celtic word meaning "riverbank." 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 Betances (0.74 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 are called Betances?
If you just want to know how many people are called Betances, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.