2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mortero
An occupational surname derived from the Spanish word for "mortar", referring to someone who worked with the mixing of building materials.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Mortero. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mortero 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Mortero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mortero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mortero
The surname MORTERO is believed to have originated in Spain during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "mortero," which means "mortar" or a vessel used for grinding or pounding substances. This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation, perhaps a person who made or used mortars in their trade.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the MORTERO surname can be found in the archives of Seville, Spain, dating back to the 15th century. In a document from 1472, a certain Pedro MORTERO is listed as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the 16th century, the MORTERO name began to appear in other parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Castile. Records from this period indicate that several individuals bearing the MORTERO surname held positions within the church or were involved in various trades and professions.
One notable figure from this era was Juan MORTERO, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s. Juan MORTERO is believed to have been born in Seville around 1490 and died in Mexico City in the late 1550s.
In the 17th century, the MORTERO surname continued to spread across Spain and its territories. Francisco MORTERO, a Spanish playwright and poet, was born in Madrid in 1609 and is known for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the MORTERO name also made its way to the Americas. In the late 18th century, José MORTERO, a Spanish colonist, established a settlement in what is now modern-day Argentina. This settlement, known as Villa de MORTERO, still bears his surname today.
Another noteworthy figure was María MORTERO, a Spanish nun and educator who founded several schools for girls in Mexico during the late 18th century. She was born in Seville in 1742 and died in Mexico City in 1819.
During the 19th century, the MORTERO surname continued to be prominent in both Spain and Latin America. One example is Miguel MORTERO, a Mexican politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain in the early 1800s.
While the surname MORTERO is still found in various parts of the world today, its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it likely began as an occupational name related to the trade of mortars or grinding vessels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mortero
Among Census respondents with the surname Mortero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mortero 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 Mortero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino61.2% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander34.5% · 40
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mortero
Mortero 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,871 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 Mortero 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 | #140,157 | #145,028 | -3.5% |
| Count | 119 | 116 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mortero bearers went from 119 to 116 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,028.
FAQ
Mortero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mortero?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Mortero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Mortero?
Mortero ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Mortero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Mortero.
Has Mortero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mortero went from 119 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Mortero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mortero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mortero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mortero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (61.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (34.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mortero (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 Mortero mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Spanish word for "mortar", referring to someone who worked with the mixing of building materials. 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 Mortero (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 Mortero?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.