2000
#11,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,652
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Cortinas
A Spanish surname referring to curtains or drapes, likely indicating an ancestor's occupation as a curtain maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,364 Americans carry the last name Cortinas. That puts it at #10,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cortinas 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
3.4K
1 in 101,889
Census rank
#10,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,934 bearers of the surname Cortinas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortinas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cortinas
The surname Cortinas has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval era. The name is derived from the Spanish word "cortina," which refers to a curtain or drape. It is believed that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a curtain wall, a fortified structure commonly found in medieval towns and cities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cortinas can be found in the Catastro del Marqués de la Ensenada, a census-like document commissioned by the Spanish government in the mid-18th century. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname Cortinas living in various regions of Spain.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Juan de Cortinas (1524-1581) was a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Philippines. He played a crucial role in establishing Spanish control over the archipelago and is recognized as one of the early pioneers in the region.
Another prominent individual with the surname Cortinas was Ramón Cortinas (1808-1868), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of War during the reign of Queen Isabella II. He was instrumental in suppressing several uprisings and rebellions in Spain during that period.
In the realm of literature, the Spanish writer and journalist José Cortinas (1868-1950) gained recognition for his works on Spanish history and culture. He was a prolific author and contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Spain's cultural heritage.
A notable figure from the 20th century was Manuel Cortinas (1919-2016), a Spanish lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the transition to democracy in Spain after the death of Francisco Franco. He held various political positions and was a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Spanish Constitution of 1978.
Over the centuries, the surname Cortinas has also been found in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico and Argentina, likely due to the migration of individuals with Spanish ancestry. While the name may have evolved and taken on different spellings or variations in these regions, its roots can be traced back to the original Spanish form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cortinas
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortinas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cortinas 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 Cortinas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.1% · 2,645
- White8.3% · 244
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- Two or more races0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cortinas
Cortinas 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
#10,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,222
+570 bearers (+21.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 994 places
2020
#10,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,934
-288 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 440 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,000 | 2,652 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,006 | 3,222 | 1.09 | +570 bearers (+21.5%) | Up 994 places |
| 2020 | #10,446 | 2,934 | 0.98 | -288 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 440 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 Cortinas 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 | #10,006 | #10,446 | -4.4% |
| Count | 3,222 | 2,934 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.98 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cortinas bearers went from 3,222 to 2,934 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 440 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,006 to #10,446.
FAQ
Cortinas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cortinas?
Name Census estimates that about 3,364 living Americans carry the surname Cortinas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,889 residents.
How common is Cortinas?
Cortinas ranks #10,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,934 people with the surname Cortinas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Cortinas.
Has Cortinas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cortinas went from 3,222 recorded bearers to 2,934. That is a decrease of 288 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,006 to #10,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Cortinas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortinas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Cortinas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cortinas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.1%), White (8.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Cortinas (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 Cortinas mean?
A Spanish surname referring to curtains or drapes, likely indicating an ancestor's occupation as a curtain maker or seller. 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 Cortinas (0.98 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 common is the surname Cortinas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Cortinas at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.