2000
#7,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Dorado
A Spanish surname referring to someone with a golden complexion or blonde hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,863 Americans carry the last name Dorado. That puts it at #6,394 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,461 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dorado 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
5.9K
1 in 58,461
Census rank
#6,394
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,113 bearers of the surname Dorado in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6394th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorado
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dorado 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 Dorado surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 4,595
- White5.1% · 263
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 216
- Two or more races0.5% · 25
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dorado
Dorado 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
#6,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,345
+1,228 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Up 1,085 places
2020
#6,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,113
-232 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,452 | 4,117 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,367 | 5,345 | 1.81 | +1,228 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 1,085 places |
| 2020 | #6,394 | 5,113 | 1.71 | -232 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 27 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 Dorado 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 | #6,367 | #6,394 | -0.4% |
| Count | 5,345 | 5,113 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.71 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dorado bearers went from 5,345 to 5,113 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,367 to #6,394.
FAQ
Dorado surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dorado?
Name Census estimates that about 5,863 living Americans carry the surname Dorado. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,461 residents.
How common is Dorado?
Dorado ranks #6,394 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 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 5,113 people with the surname Dorado. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,863), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 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 Dorado.
Has Dorado become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dorado went from 5,345 recorded bearers to 5,113. That is a decrease of 232 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,367 to #6,394.
What does the Census say about the background of Dorado?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Dorado in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (4,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dorado appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Dorado (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 Dorado mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone with a golden complexion or blonde hair. 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 Dorado (1.71 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 Dorado?
Find out how many people have the surname Dorado on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.