2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ortero
A Catalan surname possibly derived from an occupational reference involving farm laborers or gardeners.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ortero. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ortero 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ortero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%) and White (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ortero
The surname Ortero has its origins traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the regions of Spain and Portugal. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One theory suggests that Ortero is derived from the Latin word "hortus," meaning "garden" or "orchard." It is speculated that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked as gardeners or were involved in horticultural activities.
Another possibility is that the name is linked to a specific place or location, as many surnames were derived from geographic names during that era. Some historians propose that Ortero could be a variation of the Spanish town "Ortuño" or the Portuguese town "Ortelão."
In terms of historical records, the earliest known mention of the surname Ortero can be found in a document from the 15th century, which lists a certain Pedro Ortero as a landowner in the region of Castile, Spain.
One notable figure bearing the Ortero surname was Juan Ortero, a Spanish military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors in the late 15th century. He was born around 1460 and played a significant role in the capture of Granada in 1492.
During the 16th century, the Ortero name appears in various records related to the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. One such individual was Diego Ortero, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
In the 17th century, a renowned artist named Alonso Ortero gained recognition for his religious paintings, which adorned several churches and monasteries in Seville, Spain. He was active between 1610 and 1650.
Another notable figure was María Ortero, a Spanish nun and writer who lived in the late 17th century. She authored several religious texts and was known for her devotional works, which were widely circulated among the Catholic communities of her time.
Finally, in the 19th century, a Portuguese politician named António Ortero played a prominent role in the liberal movements and uprisings against the absolute monarchy in Portugal. He was born in 1790 and was a vocal advocate for constitutional reforms and democratic ideals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ortero
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%) and White (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ortero 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 Ortero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 5
- White3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ortero
Ortero 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 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 Ortero 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 | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ortero bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ortero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ortero?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ortero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ortero?
Ortero ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Ortero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Ortero.
Has Ortero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ortero went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ortero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%) and White (3.6%). 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 Ortero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ortero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.5%), White (3.6%). 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 Ortero (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 Ortero mean?
A Catalan surname possibly derived from an occupational reference involving farm laborers or gardeners. 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 Ortero (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 last name Ortero?
Want to know how many people are called Ortero? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.