2000
#40,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 503
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Bretado
A Spanish surname potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 834 Americans carry the last name Bretado. That puts it at #33,699 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 410,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bretado 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
834
1 in 410,976
Census rank
#33,699
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
727
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 727 bearers of the surname Bretado in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33699th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bretado
The surname Bretado is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula, likely in the regions of modern-day Spain and Portugal, during the medieval era. Some scholars trace its roots to the Galician-Portuguese word "bretado," which referred to a type of embroidered or variegated fabric. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a profession or trade related to textile production or decoration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bretado can be found in the medieval Portuguese charters and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. These records often mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Bretao, Bretam, or Bretán, indicating that the surname underwent orthographic transformations over time.
During the Age of Exploration, the Bretado surname spread across the Portuguese Empire, with bearers of the name appearing in various colonial outposts and settlements. Notable individuals included João Bretado, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who participated in the discovery and exploration of the Cape Verde Islands in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Bretado surname appears in historical records from the Spanish colonial era in the Americas. One prominent figure was Pedro Bretado, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
As the centuries passed, the Bretado surname continued to be found in various regions and contexts. In the 18th century, María Bretado gained recognition as a renowned Spanish painter and portraitist, contributing to the artistic landscape of her time.
Moving into the 19th century, the Bretado name is associated with notable individuals such as Andrés Bretado, a Chilean military officer and politician who played a significant role in the country's independence movement and later served as a senator.
Another notable figure from this era was Francisca Bretado, a Spanish writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education in the late 19th century.
While the surname Bretado is not among the most common surnames today, it continues to carry a rich historical legacy, reflecting the diverse cultural influences and migrations that have shaped its journey through time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bretado
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bretado 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 Bretado surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.6% · 695
- White3.3% · 24
- Two or more races0.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bretado
Bretado 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
#31,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 725
+222 bearers (+44.1%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 9,084 places
2020
#33,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 727
+2 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,908 | 503 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,824 | 725 | 0.25 | +222 bearers (+44.1%) | Up 9,084 places |
| 2020 | #33,699 | 727 | 0.24 | +2 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 1,875 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 Bretado 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 | #31,824 | #33,699 | -5.9% |
| Count | 725 | 727 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.24 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bretado bearers went from 725 to 727 (+0.3% change). The surname moved down 1,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,824 to #33,699.
FAQ
Bretado surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bretado?
Name Census estimates that about 834 living Americans carry the surname Bretado. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 410,976 residents.
How common is Bretado?
Bretado ranks #33,699 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 727 people with the surname Bretado. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (834), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Bretado.
Has Bretado become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bretado went from 725 recorded bearers to 727. That is an increase of 2 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,824 to #33,699.
What does the Census say about the background of Bretado?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Bretado in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bretado appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.6%), White (3.3%), Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Bretado (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 Bretado mean?
A Spanish surname potentially derived from a place name. 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 Bretado (0.24 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 Bretado?
You can see how many people are called Bretado on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.