2000
#8,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Borrero
A Spanish surname derived from the Castilian word "borrero," meaning a person who works with or sells watercress.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,932 Americans carry the last name Borrero. That puts it at #7,472 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borrero 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
4.9K
1 in 69,496
Census rank
#7,472
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,301 bearers of the surname Borrero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7472nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borrero
The surname Borrero originated in Spain during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "borrego," which means "lamb" or "young ram." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who raised or herded sheep.
The earliest recorded instances of the Borrero surname can be traced back to the 14th century in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain. Historical records from these areas mention individuals with the name working as shepherds or in other professions related to the sheep farming industry.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Borrero was Juan Borrero, a shepherd who lived in the village of Galaroza, Huelva, in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in a document from 1387 regarding a land dispute between local farmers and the local lord.
In the 15th century, the Borrero surname began to spread beyond its origins in southern Spain. Records from this time period show individuals with the name living in other parts of the country, such as Castile and Aragon.
A notable figure from this era was Diego Borrero, a wealthy merchant from Seville who lived from around 1430 to 1498. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Spain and the Americas during the early years of Spanish colonization.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, many individuals with the Borrero surname accompanied expeditions and settled in various regions of the New World. This led to the further spread and diversification of the name.
One example from this period is Pedro Borrero, a soldier and explorer who was born in Seville in 1525. He participated in the conquest of Peru and later settled in the city of Cusco, where he established a prominent family line.
Another notable individual with the Borrero surname was Francisca Borrero, a wealthy landowner from Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia) who lived from 1620 to 1692. She was a significant figure in the local aristocracy and philanthropic circles of the time.
While the Borrero surname has its roots in Spain, it has since become widespread across many Spanish-speaking regions of the world, particularly in Latin America, where it has been adopted by various cultures and communities over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borrero
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Borrero 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 Borrero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.2% · 3,837
- White7.3% · 312
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 70
- Black or African American1.0% · 43
- Two or more races0.7% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borrero
Borrero 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
#7,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,383
+1,041 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 1,412 places
2020
#7,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,301
-82 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,994 | 3,342 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,582 | 4,383 | 1.49 | +1,041 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 1,412 places |
| 2020 | #7,472 | 4,301 | 1.44 | -82 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 110 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 Borrero 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 | #7,582 | #7,472 | 1.5% |
| Count | 4,383 | 4,301 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.44 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borrero bearers went from 4,383 to 4,301 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,582 to #7,472.
FAQ
Borrero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borrero?
Name Census estimates that about 4,932 living Americans carry the surname Borrero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,496 residents.
How common is Borrero?
Borrero ranks #7,472 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,301 people with the surname Borrero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Borrero.
Has Borrero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borrero went from 4,383 recorded bearers to 4,301. That is a decrease of 82 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,582 to #7,472.
What does the Census say about the background of Borrero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Borrero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (3,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borrero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.2%), White (7.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Borrero (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 Borrero mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Castilian word "borrero," meaning a person who works with or sells watercress. 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 Borrero (1.44 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 are called Borrero?
You can see how many people have the last name Borrero on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.