2000
#27,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 813
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Rare Last name
Gamero
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "male shrimp" or "locust".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,477 Americans carry the last name Gamero. That puts it at #20,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 232,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamero 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
1.5K
1 in 232,061
Census rank
#20,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,288 bearers of the surname Gamero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gamero
The surname Gamero originated in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "gamero," which means "shrimp" or "prawn." This etymology suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who had a resemblance to or occupation related to shrimp.
In medieval Spain, surnames were often adopted based on physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin. The name Gamero likely emerged as a descriptive surname in regions where fishing or coastal activities were prevalent.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Gamero can be found in the records of the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña in Aragon, dated 1187. This document mentions a certain Pedro Gamero, who was a landowner in the area.
During the 13th century, the name Gamero appeared in various regions of Spain, including Andalusia and Castile. For instance, Alfonso Gamero was a prominent military leader from Seville, who participated in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors in the early 1200s.
In the 14th century, the name Gamero was associated with several notable individuals, such as Juan Gamero, a wealthy merchant from Córdoba, who established trade routes with the Mediterranean regions in the late 1300s.
The 16th century saw the rise of Juan Gamero de Almodóvar, a renowned poet and playwright from the city of Almodóvar del Campo in Castilla-La Mancha. His works were widely celebrated during the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
Another prominent figure bearing the Gamero surname was Catalina Gamero, a philanthropist and benefactor from Granada, who founded several hospitals and charitable institutions in the late 16th century.
During the colonial era, the name Gamero spread to the Spanish territories in the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Gamero y Blanco, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru in the early 1500s.
Throughout its history, the surname Gamero has had various spelling variations, such as Gameiro, Gameiro, and Gamarro, reflecting regional linguistic variations and changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamero
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamero 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 Gamero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.2% · 1,200
- White6.3% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
- Two or more races0.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gamero
Gamero 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
#22,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,170
+357 bearers (+43.9%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 5,708 places
2020
#20,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,288
+118 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 1,324 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,821 | 813 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,113 | 1,170 | 0.40 | +357 bearers (+43.9%) | Up 5,708 places |
| 2020 | #20,789 | 1,288 | 0.43 | +118 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,324 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 Gamero 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 | #22,113 | #20,789 | 6.0% |
| Count | 1,170 | 1,288 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.43 | 7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gamero bearers went from 1,170 to 1,288 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,324 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,113 to #20,789.
FAQ
Gamero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gamero?
Name Census estimates that about 1,477 living Americans carry the surname Gamero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 232,061 residents.
How common is Gamero?
Gamero ranks #20,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,288 people with the surname Gamero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gamero.
Has Gamero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gamero went from 1,170 recorded bearers to 1,288. That is an increase of 118 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,113 to #20,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Gamero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Gamero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gamero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.2%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Gamero (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 Gamero mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "male shrimp" or "locust". 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 Gamero (0.43 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 Gamero?
You can see how common the surname Gamero is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.