2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boteo
A Spanish surname originating from the verb "botear", meaning to tow or to salvage ships.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 260 Americans carry the last name Boteo. That puts it at #87,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,318,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boteo 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
260
1 in 1,318,286
Census rank
#87,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
227
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 227 bearers of the surname Boteo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boteo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boteo
The surname BOTEO is believed to have originated in Spain during the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "botero," which means "maker of small casks or barrels." The name likely originated in regions where wine-making or barrel-making was a common trade, such as La Rioja or Catalonia.
One of the earliest known references to the surname BOTEO can be found in a land registry from the town of Pedraza de la Sierra, dated 1287. This document mentions a certain Pedro BOTEO, who owned a small vineyard and winery.
In the 14th century, the surname began to spread to other parts of Spain, particularly Aragon and Valencia. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Boteu" or "Botev."
One notable figure with the surname BOTEO was Juan BOTEO, a barrel-maker from Zaragoza who served as a soldier in the army of King Alfonso V of Aragon during the Aragonese Crusade of 1432. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the campaign.
In the 16th century, the BOTEO family established a presence in the city of Seville, where they became involved in the wine trade. A certain Rodrigo BOTEO, born in 1512, was a successful merchant who exported Andalusian wines to the Americas.
During the 17th century, the surname BOTEO was also found in parts of Catalonia, particularly in the town of Vilafranca del Penedès, which was renowned for its wine production. One notable figure from this era was Maria BOTEO, born in 1628, who was a renowned vintner and one of the first women to hold a position of authority in the local winemakers' guild.
In the 18th century, the BOTEO family had established itself in the city of Málaga, where they were involved in the production and export of sweet Malaga wines. A certain Francisco BOTEO, born in 1712, was a prominent figure in the local wine trade and served as a councilor in the city government.
Throughout its history, the surname BOTEO has remained closely associated with the winemaking and barrel-making trades in Spain, reflecting the country's rich viticultural traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boteo
Among Census respondents with the surname Boteo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boteo 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 Boteo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.8% · 222
- White0.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boteo
Boteo 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
#84,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 222
+114 bearers (+105.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 57,325 places
2020
#87,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
+5 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,463 | 222 | 0.08 | +114 bearers (+105.6%) | Up 57,325 places |
| 2020 | #87,947 | 227 | 0.08 | +5 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 3,484 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 Boteo 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 | #84,463 | #87,947 | -4.1% |
| Count | 222 | 227 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boteo bearers went from 222 to 227 (+2.3% change). The surname moved down 3,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,463 to #87,947.
FAQ
Boteo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boteo?
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the surname Boteo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,318,286 residents.
How common is Boteo?
Boteo ranks #87,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 227 people with the surname Boteo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Boteo.
Has Boteo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boteo went from 222 recorded bearers to 227. That is an increase of 5 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #84,463 to #87,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Boteo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boteo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.8%. The next largest groups are White (0.9%) 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 Boteo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.8% (222 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boteo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.8%), White (0.9%), 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 Boteo (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 Boteo mean?
A Spanish surname originating from the verb "botear", meaning to tow or to salvage ships. 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 Boteo (0.08 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 Boteo?
Want to know how common the surname Boteo is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.