2000
#14,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Dorantes
Derived from a Spanish place name meaning "from Orantes," referring to an area in the province of Burgos.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,500 Americans carry the last name Dorantes. That puts it at #10,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dorantes 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
3.5K
1 in 97,930
Census rank
#10,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,052 bearers of the surname Dorantes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorantes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dorantes
The surname Dorantes has its roots in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish town of Dorantes, located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura region. The name is derived from the Latin word "durans," meaning "enduring" or "lasting," suggesting a connection to a resilient or steadfast individual or family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dorantes surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a historical document from the 13th century that documented the distribution of land and property in Seville after the Reconquista. This record mentions individuals with the surname Dorantes among the settlers and landowners in the region.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the Dorantes surname was Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, a Spanish explorer and survivor of the Narváez expedition to Florida in 1528. Dorantes, along with three other survivors, including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, endured an arduous journey across present-day Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico before reaching Spanish settlements in Mexico City in 1536.
Another notable individual with the Dorantes surname was Diego Dorantes, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century. He was among the first Spaniards to encounter the Inca Empire and witnessed the capture of the Inca ruler Atahualpa.
In the realm of literature, Miguel Dorantes was a Spanish playwright and poet active in the 17th century. His works, although not widely known today, were popular during his lifetime and contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish theater.
Moving to the 19th century, Juan Nepomuceno Almonte Dorantes was a Mexican military officer, engineer, and politician who played a significant role in the Mexican-American War. He served as the Minister of War and Navy under President Antonio López de Santa Anna and participated in the defense of Mexico City against the invading American forces.
Throughout history, the Dorantes surname has been associated with various locations, including the town of Dorantes in Badajoz, as well as places like Seville, where the name appeared in early records. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Dorantez or Dorante, have been observed over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dorantes
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorantes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dorantes 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 Dorantes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 2,889
- White4.0% · 123
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- Two or more races0.5% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dorantes
Dorantes 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
#10,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,181
+1,217 bearers (+62.0%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 3,933 places
2020
#10,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,052
-129 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,069 | 1,964 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,136 | 3,181 | 1.08 | +1,217 bearers (+62.0%) | Up 3,933 places |
| 2020 | #10,065 | 3,052 | 1.02 | -129 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 71 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 Dorantes 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 | #10,136 | #10,065 | 0.7% |
| Count | 3,181 | 3,052 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.02 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dorantes bearers went from 3,181 to 3,052 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,136 to #10,065.
FAQ
Dorantes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dorantes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,500 living Americans carry the surname Dorantes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,930 residents.
How common is Dorantes?
Dorantes ranks #10,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,052 people with the surname Dorantes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Dorantes.
Has Dorantes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dorantes went from 3,181 recorded bearers to 3,052. That is a decrease of 129 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,136 to #10,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Dorantes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dorantes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (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 Dorantes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dorantes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.7%), White (4.0%), Black (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 Dorantes (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 Dorantes mean?
Derived from a Spanish place name meaning "from Orantes," referring to an area in the province of Burgos. 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 Dorantes (1.02 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 Americans have the surname Dorantes?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.