2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Chorro
A surname originating from the Spanish word meaning "gush" or "stream of water".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Chorro. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chorro 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Chorro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chorro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chorro
The surname CHORRO originated in Spain, emerging around the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "chorro," which means a stream or jet of water. This name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or waterfall, or perhaps someone who worked with water in some capacity.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname CHORRO can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records from regions like Andalusia and Castile. It is believed that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptive nickname related to a specific geographic location.
In the 15th century, there are references to a family named CHORRO in the town of Utrera, near Seville. This family was involved in agricultural activities and held land in the area. One notable member was Juan CHORRO, a landowner and farmer who lived from approximately 1420 to 1495.
Another early record of the surname CHORRO comes from the 16th century, when a soldier named Pedro CHORRO served in the Spanish army during the conquest of Mexico. He was part of the expedition led by Hernán Cortés and participated in the fall of the Aztec Empire.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname CHORRO was María CHORRO, a renowned poet and writer from Granada. She was born around 1625 and gained recognition for her poetic works, which often focused on themes of love and spirituality.
During the 18th century, a family named CHORRO settled in the Canary Islands, where they became involved in the wine trade. One member, José CHORRO (1725-1798), established a successful vineyard and was known for producing high-quality wines exported to the Spanish mainland.
In the 19th century, a notable individual with the surname CHORRO was Antonio CHORRO (1815-1892), a Spanish engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing one of the earliest successful steam turbines, which played a significant role in the advancement of industrial machinery.
These are just a few examples of the historical presence of the surname CHORRO, a name that originated in Spain and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chorro
Among Census respondents with the surname Chorro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chorro 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 Chorro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.3% · 100
- White8.9% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chorro
Chorro appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+12 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 13,021 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 Chorro 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 | #160,975 | #147,954 | 8.1% |
| Count | 100 | 112 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chorro bearers went from 100 to 112 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 13,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #147,954.
FAQ
Chorro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chorro?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Chorro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Chorro?
Chorro ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Chorro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Chorro.
Has Chorro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chorro went from 100 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 12 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Chorro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chorro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Chorro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chorro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.3%), White (8.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Chorro (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 Chorro mean?
A surname originating from the Spanish word meaning "gush" or "stream of water". 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 Chorro (0.04 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 last name Chorro?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Chorro at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.