2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Betanco
A Spanish surname derived from a place name referring to a specific location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 404 Americans carry the last name Betanco. That puts it at #61,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 848,402 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Betanco 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
404
1 in 848,402
Census rank
#61,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
352
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 352 bearers of the surname Betanco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Betanco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Betanco
The surname Betanco is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the northern region of Spain. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century.
The name Betanco is thought to be derived from the Basque word "betanga," which means "low-lying or marshy area." This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic surname, indicating that the earliest bearers lived in or near a marshy or swampy region.
Historical records from the 13th century mention individuals bearing the name Betanco in the region of Cantabria, a coastal area in northern Spain. These early references suggest that the name was well-established in this region before spreading to other parts of the country.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Betanco surname was Juan Betanco, a nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign by Christian rulers to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish control. Juan Betanco was born around 1180 and played a crucial role in the capture of Seville in 1248.
In the 15th century, the Betanco name appeared in various legal documents and records from the town of Laredo, located in the modern-day autonomous community of Cantabria. These documents mention individuals such as Pedro Betanco, a merchant who lived in Laredo during the late 1400s.
As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Betanco surname began to spread to other parts of the world. One notable figure was Alonso Betanco, a Jesuit missionary who was born in Spain in 1532 and later traveled to present-day Paraguay, where he worked to convert indigenous populations to Christianity.
Another prominent individual with the Betanco surname was Juan Antonio Betanco, a 17th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works. He was born in Madrid in 1623 and became a renowned painter of altarpieces and other religious scenes.
Throughout the centuries, the Betanco surname has also been associated with various place names and locations in northern Spain. For example, there is a small village called Betancuria on the Canary Islands, which may have derived its name from the Betanco surname.
In summary, the surname Betanco has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Spain, with its origins likely rooted in the Basque language and referring to a geographic feature. The name has been borne by notable figures throughout history, from military commanders and merchants to missionaries and artists, and has spread across different regions as a result of Spanish exploration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Betanco
Among Census respondents with the surname Betanco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Betanco 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 Betanco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.5% · 336
- White3.1% · 11
- Two or more races0.9% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Betanco
Betanco 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
#73,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 266
+142 bearers (+114.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 54,181 places
2020
#61,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
+86 bearers (+32.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 11,411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,005 | 266 | 0.09 | +142 bearers (+114.5%) | Up 54,181 places |
| 2020 | #61,594 | 352 | 0.12 | +86 bearers (+32.3%) | Up 11,411 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 Betanco 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 | #73,005 | #61,594 | 15.6% |
| Count | 266 | 352 | 32.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.12 | 30.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Betanco bearers went from 266 to 352 (+32.3% change). The surname moved up 11,411 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,005 to #61,594.
FAQ
Betanco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Betanco?
Name Census estimates that about 404 living Americans carry the surname Betanco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 848,402 residents.
How common is Betanco?
Betanco ranks #61,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 352 people with the surname Betanco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Betanco.
Has Betanco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Betanco went from 266 recorded bearers to 352. That is an increase of 86 (+32.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,005 to #61,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Betanco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Betanco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Betanco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (336 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Betanco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.5%), White (3.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Betanco (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 Betanco mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a place name referring to a specific location. 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 Betanco (0.12 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 share the surname Betanco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.