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

Hierro, 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 Hierro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hierro in America

Hierro is the 43369th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hierro surname appeared 498 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hierro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hierro 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 Hierro

The surname Hierro is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "hierro" meaning "iron." This name likely originated in regions of Spain where iron mining or metalworking were prevalent industries.

The earliest recorded instances of the Hierro surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Spain. One notable early bearer of the name was Juan de Hierro, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso X during the Reconquista in the mid-13th century.

In the 15th century, the surname Hierro appeared in official records from the town of Hierro, located in the province of Valladolid, Spain. It's possible that the surname derived from this place name, which itself may have been named for iron mining or forging activities in the area.

During the Age of Exploration, several individuals with the Hierro surname participated in the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. One such individual was Pedro Hierro, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the Hierro surname was Andrés de Hierro y Salazar, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served as the Governor of Panama from 1635 to 1641.

Another notable bearer of the Hierro name was Juan de Hierro y Agüero, a Spanish poet and playwright who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His works, which included plays and religious poetry, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, José Hierro y Malpica was a prominent Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs under the reign of Queen Isabella II in the 1850s.

As the Hierro surname spread throughout Spain and its colonies, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Ferro, Fierro, and Hyerro. However, the original spelling of Hierro remained the most common form of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hierro

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

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

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

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