Fierro last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Fierro

An Italian occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or ironworker.

Fierro, 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 Fierro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fierro in America

Fierro is the 2519th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fierro surname appeared 14,371 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Fierro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fierro 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2519 2785 -10.03%
Count 14,371 11,891 18.89%
Proportion per 100k 4.87 4.41 9.91%

The history of the last name Fierro

The surname Fierro is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "hierro," which means "iron." The name likely originated during the medieval period in Spain, possibly referring to someone who worked with iron or lived near an iron mine or foundry.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Fierro can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, such as Andalusia and Castile. It is believed that the name may have been associated with the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest over the Moors, as it could have been given to soldiers or knights who excelled in wielding iron weapons or armor.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Fierro was Pedro Fierro, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. He was born in Medina del Campo, Spain, around 1490 and accompanied Cortés on his expeditions, playing a significant role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Another prominent individual with the surname Fierro was Gaspar Fierro, a Spanish painter active in the 17th century. He was born in Seville around 1595 and is known for his religious paintings, many of which can be found in churches across Andalusia.

In the 18th century, Alejandro Fierro was a Spanish military officer who fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was born in Cádiz in 1680 and played a crucial role in the defense of the city against the British and Dutch forces during the conflict.

Moving to the 19th century, José Fierro was a Mexican politician and military leader who participated in the Mexican-American War. He was born in Guanajuato in 1810 and served as a general in the Mexican army, leading troops against the American invasion in 1846-1848.

Lastly, in the early 20th century, Víctor Fierro was a renowned Colombian writer and poet. He was born in Bogotá in 1890 and is celebrated for his contributions to Colombian literature, particularly his poetry collections and essays that explored themes of national identity and social issues.

While the name Fierro has evolved over time and spread to various parts of the world, its roots can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it was likely associated with the ironworking trade or the military during the Reconquista period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fierro

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

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 Fierro was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 14.81% 2,128
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.21% 30
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.29% 42
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.49% 70
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.38% 55
Hispanic Origin 83.81% 12,044

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 Fierro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 14.81% 17.69% -17.72%
Black 0.21% 0.31% -38.46%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.29% 0.29% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.49% 0.65% -28.07%
Two or More Races 0.38% 0.53% -32.97%
Hispanic 83.81% 80.53% 3.99%

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 Fierro was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Fierro last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 15, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/fierro-surname-popularity/.

"Fierro last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/fierro-surname-popularity/. Accessed 15 October, 2024

Fierro last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/fierro-surname-popularity/.

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