2000
#2,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,876
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.89
Uncommon Last name
Betancourt
A locational surname of Spanish origin referring to someone from a place called Betancourt or Betancur.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,999 Americans carry the last name Betancourt. That puts it at #1,601 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Betancourt 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
25K
1 in 13,711
Census rank
#1,601
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,800 bearers of the surname Betancourt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1601st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Betancourt, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Betancourt
The surname Betancourt is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 8th century AD when the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula. The name is derived from the Arabic words "bayt" meaning house and "al-qurt" meaning the city, thus translating to "house of the city" or "city house".
During the Moorish rule of Spain, which lasted until the late 15th century, many place names and surnames were derived from Arabic words and phrases. The name Betancourt is believed to have originated from a specific location or town where the family resided or had a prominent presence.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Betancourt can be found in the 11th century manuscript "Codex Calixtinus", which documented the lives of various nobles and families in the region of Galicia, Spain. The manuscript mentions a "Rodrigo de Betancourt" who was a knight and landowner in the area.
In the 13th century, another historical figure named Juan de Betancourt was a prominent architect and military engineer who is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of several fortresses and castles in the region of Andalusia, Spain.
During the 16th century, the name gained prominence when Pedro de Betancourt, a Spanish missionary and Catholic saint, was born in 1619 in Tenerife, Canary Islands. He is known for his charitable works and founding several hospitals and orphanages throughout Spain and the Americas.
Another notable individual with the surname Betancourt was Agustín de Betancourt y Molina, a Spanish engineer and inventor who lived from 1758 to 1824. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of various machinery and his work in the field of hydraulics and civil engineering.
In the 19th century, José Isidro Betancourt y Pérez, born in 1808 in Puerto Rico, was a prominent lawyer, politician, and advocate for the abolition of slavery in the Spanish colonies. He played a significant role in the movement for Puerto Rican independence and is recognized as one of the island's most influential historical figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Betancourt
Among Census respondents with the surname Betancourt, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Betancourt 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 Betancourt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.7% · 19,777
- White7.6% · 1,665
- Black or African American0.9% · 187
- Two or more races0.4% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Betancourt
Betancourt 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
#1,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,663
+5,787 bearers (+36.5%)
Per 100,000 7.34
Rank movement Up 434 places
2020
#1,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,800
+137 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 7.29
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,098 | 15,876 | 5.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,664 | 21,663 | 7.34 | +5,787 bearers (+36.5%) | Up 434 places |
| 2020 | #1,601 | 21,800 | 7.29 | +137 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 63 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 Betancourt 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 | #1,664 | #1,601 | 3.8% |
| Count | 21,663 | 21,800 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.34 | 7.29 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Betancourt bearers went from 21,663 to 21,800 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,664 to #1,601.
FAQ
Betancourt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Betancourt?
Name Census estimates that about 24,999 living Americans carry the surname Betancourt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,711 residents.
How common is Betancourt?
Betancourt ranks #1,601 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,800 people with the surname Betancourt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Betancourt.
Has Betancourt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Betancourt went from 21,663 recorded bearers to 21,800. That is an increase of 137 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,664 to #1,601.
What does the Census say about the background of Betancourt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Betancourt, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (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 Betancourt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (19,777 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Betancourt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.7%), White (7.6%), Black (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 Betancourt (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 Betancourt mean?
A locational surname of Spanish origin referring to someone from a place called Betancourt or Betancur. 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 Betancourt (7.29 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 last name Betancourt?
Want to know how many people are called Betancourt? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.