2000
#26,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Borrayo
A Spanish surname likely of occupational origin referring to a maker or seller of wine bottles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,264 Americans carry the last name Borrayo. That puts it at #23,737 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 271,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borrayo 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
1.3K
1 in 271,166
Census rank
#23,737
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,102 bearers of the surname Borrayo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23737th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrayo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borrayo
The surname BORRAYO is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia, during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Spanish word "borrajo," which refers to a type of wild plant or herb.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the BORRAYO name can be found in a manuscript from the 14th century, which documented a land dispute involving a family with this surname in the town of Montilla, Córdoba.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the BORRAYO surname was Juan Borrayo, a renowned painter and fresco artist who worked on several religious commissions in Seville and its surrounding areas. He lived from approximately 1520 to 1585.
During the colonial era, the BORRAYO name spread to the Spanish territories in the Americas, particularly to Mexico and parts of Central America. One notable individual was Francisca Borrayo, a landowner and philanthropist in colonial Guatemala, who lived from 1675 to 1742.
In the 18th century, a branch of the BORRAYO family settled in the region of Extremadura, where the name was sometimes spelled as "Borayo." Pedro Borayo, born in 1725, was a prominent lawyer and judge in the city of Badajoz.
Another notable figure with the BORRAYO surname was José Borrayo, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1783 in Málaga and served under the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War.
While the BORRAYO name is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has persisted throughout history and continues to be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in Latin American countries with Spanish colonial roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borrayo
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrayo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Borrayo 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 Borrayo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.6% · 1,053
- White3.2% · 35
- Black or African American0.5% · 6
- Two or more races0.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borrayo
Borrayo 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
#21,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,184
+313 bearers (+35.9%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 4,435 places
2020
#23,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,102
-82 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 1,811 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,361 | 871 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,926 | 1,184 | 0.40 | +313 bearers (+35.9%) | Up 4,435 places |
| 2020 | #23,737 | 1,102 | 0.37 | -82 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 1,811 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 Borrayo 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 | #21,926 | #23,737 | -8.3% |
| Count | 1,184 | 1,102 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.37 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borrayo bearers went from 1,184 to 1,102 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 1,811 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,926 to #23,737.
FAQ
Borrayo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borrayo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,264 living Americans carry the surname Borrayo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 271,166 residents.
How common is Borrayo?
Borrayo ranks #23,737 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,102 people with the surname Borrayo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Borrayo.
Has Borrayo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borrayo went from 1,184 recorded bearers to 1,102. That is a decrease of 82 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,926 to #23,737.
What does the Census say about the background of Borrayo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrayo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Borrayo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (1,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borrayo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.6%), White (3.2%), Black (0.5%). 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 Borrayo (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 Borrayo mean?
A Spanish surname likely of occupational origin referring to a maker or seller of wine bottles. 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 Borrayo (0.37 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 Borrayo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.