2000
#9,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Carrero
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a carter, cart driver, or someone who transports goods by cart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,610 Americans carry the last name Carrero. That puts it at #7,919 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrero 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
4.6K
1 in 74,350
Census rank
#7,919
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,020 bearers of the surname Carrero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7919th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrero
The surname Carrero has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the early medieval period around the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "carraria," which referred to a road or path, suggesting that the name may have been originally associated with a person who lived near a major road or was a traveler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Carrero surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a historical document from the 14th century that documented land ownership and population records in Castile. This suggests that the name was established and in use among the Spanish nobility during that time.
In the 15th century, the Carrero family played a prominent role in Spanish history. Juan Carrero de Zamora (c. 1435-1494) was a Spanish prelate who served as the Archbishop of Toledo and held significant political influence during the reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile.
Another notable figure with the Carrero surname was Pedro Carrero de Tordesillas (c. 1500-1572), a Spanish military leader and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He was granted extensive land holdings and became one of the wealthiest men in the Spanish colonies.
In the 17th century, Gaspar Carrero de Guzmán (1607-1681) was a Spanish nobleman and politician who served as the Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1670 to 1676. His tenure was marked by significant reforms in the administration of the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
The Carrero surname can also be traced to the Canary Islands, where it is believed to have been introduced by settlers from Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable figure from this region was Sebastián Carrero (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish navigator and explorer who was instrumental in the early colonization efforts of the Canary Islands.
While the Carrero surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. The name has also undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Carrera, Carreras, and Carreiro.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrero
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrero 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 Carrero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.0% · 3,576
- White9.5% · 383
- Black or African American0.8% · 31
- Two or more races0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrero
Carrero 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
#8,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,126
+1,073 bearers (+35.1%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 1,751 places
2020
#7,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,020
-106 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,774 | 3,053 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,023 | 4,126 | 1.40 | +1,073 bearers (+35.1%) | Up 1,751 places |
| 2020 | #7,919 | 4,020 | 1.34 | -106 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 104 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 Carrero 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 | #8,023 | #7,919 | 1.3% |
| Count | 4,126 | 4,020 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.34 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrero bearers went from 4,126 to 4,020 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,023 to #7,919.
FAQ
Carrero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrero?
Name Census estimates that about 4,610 living Americans carry the surname Carrero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,350 residents.
How common is Carrero?
Carrero ranks #7,919 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,020 people with the surname Carrero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Carrero.
Has Carrero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrero went from 4,126 recorded bearers to 4,020. That is a decrease of 106 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,023 to #7,919.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Carrero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (3,576 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.0%), White (9.5%), Black (0.8%). 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 Carrero (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 Carrero mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a carter, cart driver, or someone who transports goods by cart. 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 Carrero (1.34 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 share the surname Carrero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.