2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Molineros
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who operated or lived near a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Molineros. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Molineros 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Molineros in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Molineros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Molineros
The surname Molineros is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "molinero" which means "miller" or "one who operates a mill." The name likely originated in medieval Spain and was initially an occupational surname given to individuals who worked in mills, particularly flour mills.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Molineros can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Spain, particularly in areas with a strong agricultural and milling tradition. Some of the earliest documented examples include Juan Molineros, who was mentioned in a land registry document from the city of Toledo in 1289, and Pedro Molineros, a miller recorded in a census of the city of Seville in 1341.
As the name Molineros was an occupational surname, it is likely that it originated in multiple locations across Spain, wherever mills were prevalent. Over time, the name became more widespread and established as a hereditary surname, passed down from generation to generation within families.
In the 15th century, the name Molineros appeared in several historical records and manuscripts, including the "Libro de Repartimiento" (Book of Distribution), which documented the distribution of land and properties in the Kingdom of Granada after the Reconquista (the Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors). This document mentions several individuals with the surname Molineros who received land grants in the region.
One notable individual with the surname Molineros was Juan Molineros, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Juan Molineros was born in Seville around 1470 and played a crucial role in the early exploration and mapping of the Caribbean islands.
Another prominent figure was Diego Molineros, a Spanish artist and painter who lived in the 16th century. Born in Cordoba in 1525, Molineros was known for his religious artworks and contributed to the artistic legacy of the Spanish Renaissance.
In the 17th century, the name Molineros appeared in various records related to the Spanish colonial territories in the Americas. For example, Pedro Molineros was a Spanish settler who established a flour mill in the city of Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia) in 1628, contributing to the local economy and infrastructure.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the surname Molineros, including Antonio Molineros y Losada (1779-1854), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament), and María Molineros (1854-1922), a Spanish author and educator who advocated for women's rights and education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Molineros
Among Census respondents with the surname Molineros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Molineros 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 Molineros surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.6% · 109
- White1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Molineros
Molineros 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 758 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 Molineros 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 | #147,253 | #146,495 | 0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 114 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Molineros bearers went from 112 to 114 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 758 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #146,495.
FAQ
Molineros surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Molineros?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Molineros. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Molineros?
Molineros ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Molineros. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Molineros.
Has Molineros become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Molineros went from 112 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Molineros?
Among Census respondents with the surname Molineros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.6%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Molineros in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Molineros appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.6%), White (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Molineros (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 Molineros mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who operated or lived near a mill. 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 Molineros (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 have the surname Molineros?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.