2000
#16,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,558
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Buitrago
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "vulture's roost" or "vulture's nest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,768 Americans carry the last name Buitrago. That puts it at #12,301 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buitrago 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
2.8K
1 in 123,827
Census rank
#12,301
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,414 bearers of the surname Buitrago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12301st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buitrago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buitrago
The surname BUITRAGO is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Castile in central Spain. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 10th and 13th centuries.
The name BUITRAGO is derived from a Spanish place name, referring to the town of Buitrago del Lozoya, located in the province of Madrid. The name itself is a combination of the Spanish words "buitre" meaning "vulture" and "rago" meaning "small stream or brook." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a location where vultures were found near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BUITRAGO can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census-like document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document listed various noble families and their properties, including individuals bearing the BUITRAGO surname.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan de Buitrago served as a royal secretary to King Juan II of Castile (1405-1454). Another individual named Pedro de Buitrago (c. 1490-1555) was a Spanish theologian and author who wrote works on religious subjects.
During the 16th century, the BUITRAGO surname gained prominence with Juan de Buitrago y Muxica (c. 1515-1599), a Spanish military officer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Chile under Pedro de Valdivia. He is noted for founding the city of Mendoza in present-day Argentina.
Another notable figure was Francisco de Buitrago (c. 1570-1630), a Spanish artist and painter who worked in the Mannerist style and is known for his religious paintings and altarpieces found in various churches in Madrid and surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, Juan Bautista Buitrago (1813-1889) was a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the governor of the state of Jalisco from 1867 to 1871.
While the BUITRAGO surname is primarily associated with Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, with notable individuals bearing this name across various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buitrago
Among Census respondents with the surname Buitrago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Buitrago 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 Buitrago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.7% · 2,213
- White7.2% · 175
- Black or African American0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
- Two or more races0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buitrago
Buitrago 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
#14,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,018
+460 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 2,135 places
2020
#12,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,414
+396 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 2,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,859 | 1,558 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,724 | 2,018 | 0.68 | +460 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 2,135 places |
| 2020 | #12,301 | 2,414 | 0.81 | +396 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 2,423 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 Buitrago 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 | #14,724 | #12,301 | 16.5% |
| Count | 2,018 | 2,414 | 19.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.81 | 18.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buitrago bearers went from 2,018 to 2,414 (+19.6% change). The surname moved up 2,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,724 to #12,301.
FAQ
Buitrago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buitrago?
Name Census estimates that about 2,768 living Americans carry the surname Buitrago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,827 residents.
How common is Buitrago?
Buitrago ranks #12,301 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,414 people with the surname Buitrago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Buitrago.
Has Buitrago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buitrago went from 2,018 recorded bearers to 2,414. That is an increase of 396 (+19.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,724 to #12,301.
What does the Census say about the background of Buitrago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buitrago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Black (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 Buitrago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buitrago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.7%), White (7.2%), Black (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 Buitrago (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 Buitrago mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "vulture's roost" or "vulture's nest." 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 Buitrago (0.81 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 common is the surname Buitrago?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Buitrago, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.