2000
#6,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Chaparro
A Spanish nickname surname referring to a short person or someone of small stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,783 Americans carry the last name Chaparro. That puts it at #5,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chaparro 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
6.8K
1 in 50,531
Census rank
#5,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,915 bearers of the surname Chaparro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaparro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chaparro
The surname Chaparro originated in Spain during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "chaparro," which means a short, squat tree or bush. This descriptor likely referred to a person of short stature or someone who lived near a dense thicket of low-growing vegetation.
The earliest recorded instances of the Chaparro surname appear in regional records and manuscripts from the northern Spanish provinces, particularly Asturias and Cantabria. The name was also found in medieval Castilian documents, suggesting its widespread use across the northern territories of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Chaparro surname was Gonzalo Chaparro, a nobleman who fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile during the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. This decisive victory over the Almohad Caliphate marked a turning point in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.
Another notable figure was Pedro Chaparro, a prominent architect and stonemason from Burgos in the 15th century. He was renowned for his work on several grand cathedrals and churches, including the iconic Cathedral of Burgos, one of Spain's most celebrated examples of Gothic architecture.
During the Age of Exploration, the Chaparro surname spread across the Spanish Empire as conquistadors, settlers, and missionaries ventured to the New World. One such explorer was Juan Chaparro, a navigator and cartographer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico in 1519. Chaparro's detailed maps and charts were instrumental in guiding the Spanish forces through unfamiliar territories.
In the realm of literature, María Chaparro was a celebrated poet and writer from Seville in the 16th century. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were widely acclaimed and often recited in the salons and literary circles of the Spanish Golden Age.
As the Chaparro surname journeyed across the Atlantic, it took root in various regions of Latin America, including Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. One prominent bearer was José Chaparro, a Mexican military officer and politician who played a crucial role in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain in the early 19th century.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable figures associated with the Chaparro surname, which has left an indelible mark on the cultural tapestry of Spain and its former colonial territories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chaparro
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaparro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chaparro 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 Chaparro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 5,529
- White5.4% · 319
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
- Two or more races0.3% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chaparro
Chaparro 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
#5,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,066
+1,635 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Up 1,255 places
2020
#5,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,915
-151 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,973 | 4,431 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,718 | 6,066 | 2.06 | +1,635 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 1,255 places |
| 2020 | #5,648 | 5,915 | 1.98 | -151 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 70 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 Chaparro 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 | #5,718 | #5,648 | 1.2% |
| Count | 6,066 | 5,915 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.98 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chaparro bearers went from 6,066 to 5,915 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,718 to #5,648.
FAQ
Chaparro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chaparro?
Name Census estimates that about 6,783 living Americans carry the surname Chaparro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,531 residents.
How common is Chaparro?
Chaparro ranks #5,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,915 people with the surname Chaparro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chaparro.
Has Chaparro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chaparro went from 6,066 recorded bearers to 5,915. That is a decrease of 151 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,718 to #5,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Chaparro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaparro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Chaparro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (5,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chaparro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (5.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Chaparro (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 Chaparro mean?
A Spanish nickname surname referring to a short person or someone of small stature. 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 Chaparro (1.98 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 have the surname Chaparro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.