Find out how popular the last name Dorado is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dorado.

Dorado, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dorado surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dorado in America

Dorado is the 6367th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dorado surname appeared 5,345 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dorado.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dorado to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dorado

The surname Dorado originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "dorado," which means "golden" or "gilded." This name likely referred to someone who worked with gold or had a golden complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dorado surname can be found in the Catalonian town of Terrassa, near Barcelona, where a family named Dorado lived in the 14th century. The name also appears in various medieval documents and records from the Iberian Peninsula during this time period.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan Dorado was a renowned goldsmith in Seville, Spain. His intricate and beautiful works were highly sought after by the aristocracy and royalty of the time.

During the Age of Exploration, many Spanish explorers and conquistadors bore the surname Dorado. One such figure was Pedro Dorado, who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico in the early 16th century.

The Dorado surname also has a strong connection to the legend of El Dorado, the mythical city of gold that many Spanish explorers sought in the Americas. Some believe the name Dorado may have been adopted by those who were inspired by the tales of this fabled city.

In the 17th century, a famous Spanish painter named Sebastián Dorado was known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in 1615 and died in 1685.

Another notable bearer of the Dorado surname was José María Dorado, a Spanish lawyer and politician who lived from 1786 to 1848. He played a significant role in the Spanish liberal movement and served as a member of the Spanish parliament.

As the Spanish empire expanded, the Dorado surname spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, where it can still be found today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dorado

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dorado.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dorado was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dorado has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dorado was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dorado, please contact us.

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