2000
#72,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Contras
Meaning "against" or "opposing", possibly referring to someone opposed to authority or an opponent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 255 Americans carry the last name Contras. That puts it at #89,563 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,344,135 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Contras 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
255
1 in 1,344,135
Census rank
#89,563
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
222
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 222 bearers of the surname Contras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 89563rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Contras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Contras
The surname Contras has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "contra," which means "against" or "opposite." This suggests that the name may have been associated with those who resided near or opposite a particular landmark or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Contras surname can be found in the baptismal records of the Church of Santa Maria la Mayor in Seville, Spain, where a certain Pedro Contras was mentioned in 1582. This indicates that the name was already established in the region during that time period.
In the late 17th century, the Contras name appeared in various documents related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. For instance, a Juan Contras was listed as a settler in the region of Nueva Vizcaya (present-day Mexico) in 1687.
During the 18th century, the Contras surname gained prominence in the Spanish-controlled territories of the Caribbean. One notable figure was Tomás Contras (1725-1792), a wealthy plantation owner and merchant based in Havana, Cuba.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the globe, the Contras name spread to different corners of the world. In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Alejandro Contras (1823-1891), a Spanish explorer and cartographer who participated in various expeditions to Africa and the Pacific Islands.
Another historical figure was María Contras (1854-1932), a Spanish author and feminist who advocated for women's rights and education. Her works, including "La Mujer en la Sociedad Moderna" (The Woman in Modern Society), became influential in the early 20th century.
In more recent times, the Contras surname has been associated with the Nicaraguan Contras, a rebel group that fought against the Sandinista government during the Nicaraguan Revolution in the 1980s. However, this usage is distinct from the surname's original Spanish roots.
While the Contras name may have evolved and dispersed globally over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Spanish-speaking regions of Europe and the Americas, where it held significance as a surname with a rich historical lineage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Contras
Among Census respondents with the surname Contras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Contras 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 Contras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.9% · 213
- White3.6% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Contras
Contras 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
#63,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 313
+65 bearers (+26.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 9,207 places
2020
#89,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 222
-91 bearers (-29.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 25,865 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,905 | 248 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,698 | 313 | 0.11 | +65 bearers (+26.2%) | Up 9,207 places |
| 2020 | #89,563 | 222 | 0.07 | -91 bearers (-29.1%) | Down 25,865 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 Contras 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 | #63,698 | #89,563 | -40.6% |
| Count | 313 | 222 | -29.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.07 | -32.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Contras bearers went from 313 to 222 (-29.1% change). The surname moved down 25,865 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,698 to #89,563.
FAQ
Contras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Contras?
Name Census estimates that about 255 living Americans carry the surname Contras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,344,135 residents.
How common is Contras?
Contras ranks #89,563 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 222 people with the surname Contras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Contras.
Has Contras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Contras went from 313 recorded bearers to 222. That is a decrease of 91 (-29.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #63,698 to #89,563.
What does the Census say about the background of Contras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Contras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Contras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Contras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.9%), White (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Contras (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 Contras mean?
Meaning "against" or "opposing", possibly referring to someone opposed to authority or an opponent. 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 Contras (0.07 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 Contras?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.