2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Modro
An uncommon surname potentially derived from a Slavic word meaning "blue" or "violet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Modro. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Modro 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Modro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Modro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Modro
The surname MODRO originates from Croatia, with records dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Old Croatian word "modar," which means "blue" or "bluish." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone with blue eyes or someone who worked with indigo dye.
The earliest known record of the MODRO surname can be found in a Croatian census from 1492, where a family with the name resided in the town of Zadar. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appeared in various church records and legal documents across the Dalmatian region.
One notable historical figure with the MODRO surname was Ivan Modro, a Croatian diplomat and politician who lived in the late 18th century (1745-1819). He played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements between the Republic of Ragusa (now Dubrovnik) and the Ottoman Empire.
Another prominent individual was Marija Modro (1876-1942), a Croatian educator and women's rights activist who established several schools for girls in Dalmatia. Her efforts contributed significantly to improving educational opportunities for women in the region.
In the 19th century, the MODRO surname spread beyond Croatia as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Petar Modro (1832-1901), a Croatian-born explorer and adventurer who traveled extensively through South America and wrote several books about his experiences.
The MODRO surname also has a connection to place names in Croatia. The village of Modro Polje, located in the Lika region, is believed to have derived its name from the surname, possibly indicating that the Modro family had a significant presence or influence in that area.
Throughout history, several variations of the spelling have been documented, including Modrich, Modrović, and Modrić, but MODRO remains the most common form of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modro
Among Census respondents with the surname Modro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Modro 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 Modro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Modro
Modro appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,268 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 Modro 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 | #154,907 | #151,639 | 2.1% |
| Count | 105 | 107 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Modro bearers went from 105 to 107 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #151,639.
FAQ
Modro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Modro?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Modro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Modro?
Modro ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Modro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Modro.
Has Modro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Modro went from 105 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Modro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Modro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Modro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Modro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Modro (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 Modro mean?
An uncommon surname potentially derived from a Slavic word meaning "blue" or "violet". 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 Modro (0.04 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 are called Modro?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Modro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.