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

Morales-Torres, 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 Morales-Torres surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morales-Torres in America

Morales-Torres is the 111426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morales-Torres surname appeared 158 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 Morales-Torres.

The history of the last name Morales-Torres

The surname MORALESTORRES is a double-barrelled Spanish surname consisting of the two surnames Morales and Torres. It is believed to have originated in Spain, where the use of double surnames became common practice from the 16th century onwards.

The first part of the name, Morales, is derived from the Spanish word "moral," meaning "moral" or "ethical." It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone known for their upright or moral character. Alternatively, it could have been a locational name referring to someone from a place called Morales, which is found in various regions of Spain.

The second part of the surname, Torres, is a common Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "turris," meaning "tower." It is believed to have been either a topographic name for someone living near a tower or a defensive structure, or an occupational name for a watchman or guard of a tower.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Morales dates back to the 13th century, when a nobleman named Pedro Morales was mentioned in a document from the Kingdom of Aragon in 1243. The Torres surname can be traced back even further, with records showing a Juan Torres serving as a knight in the court of King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the late 12th century.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the MORALESTORRES surname or one of its component parts. For example, Juan Morales (1510-1552) was a Spanish composer and theorist who played a significant role in the development of Renaissance music. Another prominent figure was Luis Morales (c. 1520-1586), a Spanish Renaissance painter known for his religious works.

On the Torres side, Diego de Torres Villarroel (1694-1770) was a Spanish writer, mathematician, and professor who gained fame for his satirical and humorous works. More recently, Camilo Torres Restrepo (1929-1966) was a Colombian priest, sociologist, and revolutionary who joined the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla movement and was killed in combat.

Other notable individuals with the MORALESTORRES surname or its variations include the Spanish painter José Morales Carbonero (1858-1942), the Mexican artist and muralist José Clemente Orozco Morales (1883-1949), and the Peruvian politician and diplomat Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Torres (1920-2020), who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1982 to 1991.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morales-Torres

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Morales-Torres.

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 Morales-Torres 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.

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 Morales-Torres was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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