2000
#3,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,287
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.07
Uncommon Last name
Botello
A Spanish surname derived from the word "botella," meaning "bottle," likely referring to an ancestor who made or sold bottles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,499 Americans carry the last name Botello. That puts it at #3,229 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Botello 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
12K
1 in 27,423
Census rank
#3,229
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,900 bearers of the surname Botello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3229th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Botello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Botello
The surname Botello has its origins in the northern region of Spain, particularly in the Basque Country and Navarre. It emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Basque word "botella," which means "bottle," potentially referring to the occupation of a bottle maker or someone associated with the production or trade of bottles.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Botello can be found in the "Becerro de las Remirendas," a 14th-century census document from the Kingdom of Navarre. This document lists individuals with the surname Botello residing in various towns and villages within the region.
During the 15th century, the Botello name appeared in several historical documents from the Basque Country. One notable figure was Juan Botello, a merchant from Bilbao who was involved in trade with the Dutch Republic in the late 1400s.
As the Botello family expanded and migrated across Spain and its colonial territories, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Botilla, Botela, and Botella. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors in historical records.
In the 16th century, the Botello surname gained prominence in the Canary Islands, where several individuals with this name held important positions. One example is Hernando Botello, who served as the governor of Tenerife in the mid-1500s.
Over the centuries, the Botello surname has been associated with notable individuals in various fields. For instance, José Botello y Alonso (1720-1786) was a Spanish religious figure who served as the Bishop of Michoacán in Mexico during the 18th century.
Another prominent figure was Narciso Botello (1833-1907), a Mexican military officer who fought in the Mexican-American War and the French Intervention in Mexico. He later served as the governor of the state of Jalisco from 1897 to 1901.
In the literary realm, Mariano Botello-Frías (1891-1975) was a renowned Mexican poet and journalist, known for his contributions to the Mexican Stridentist movement in the early 20th century.
The Botello surname can also be found in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Argentina, where Juan Botello (1899-1963) was a prominent artist and painter, known for his landscape and portrait works.
While the Botello surname has its roots in Spain, it has spread across various regions and cultures over the centuries, reflecting the diverse histories and experiences of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Botello
Among Census respondents with the surname Botello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Botello 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 Botello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.6% · 10,097
- White6.3% · 683
- Two or more races0.3% · 37
- Black or African American0.3% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Botello
Botello 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
#3,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,569
+3,282 bearers (+39.6%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Up 825 places
2020
#3,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,900
-669 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 3.65
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,938 | 8,287 | 3.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,113 | 11,569 | 3.92 | +3,282 bearers (+39.6%) | Up 825 places |
| 2020 | #3,229 | 10,900 | 3.65 | -669 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 116 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 Botello 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 | #3,113 | #3,229 | -3.7% |
| Count | 11,569 | 10,900 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.92 | 3.65 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Botello bearers went from 11,569 to 10,900 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,113 to #3,229.
FAQ
Botello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Botello?
Name Census estimates that about 12,499 living Americans carry the surname Botello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,423 residents.
How common is Botello?
Botello ranks #3,229 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,900 people with the surname Botello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Botello.
Has Botello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Botello went from 11,569 recorded bearers to 10,900. That is a decrease of 669 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,113 to #3,229.
What does the Census say about the background of Botello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Botello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.6%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Botello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (10,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Botello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.6%), White (6.3%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Botello (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 Botello mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "botella," meaning "bottle," likely referring to an ancestor who made or sold 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 Botello (3.65 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 Botello?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Botello, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.