2000
#49,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 402
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Rare Last name
Osorto
A habitational surname with Spanish origins indicating someone from a place with that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,565 Americans carry the last name Osorto. That puts it at #19,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 219,012 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osorto 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
1.6K
1 in 219,012
Census rank
#19,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,365 bearers of the surname Osorto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osorto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osorto
The surname OSORTO has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish words "oso" meaning bear and "orto" meaning east, potentially referring to someone who lived in an easterly location known for bears or was associated with bear hunting or taming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OSORTO surname can be found in the Catalonian archives from the 13th century, where a nobleman named Rodrigo Osorto was mentioned as a landowner in the region of Valencia. This suggests that the name may have originated in the eastern parts of Spain, possibly in or around Valencia.
In the 15th century, records show a renowned poet and playwright named Juan Osorto, who was born in Seville in 1428 and died in Granada in 1501. His works were widely celebrated during the Renaissance period and contributed to the golden age of Spanish literature.
Another notable figure was Pedro Osorto, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico in the early 16th century. Osorto played a crucial role in the conquest and was granted land and titles by the Spanish Crown for his services.
During the 17th century, the OSORTO surname appeared in several documents related to the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that some members of the family may have been persecuted or investigated by the religious authorities of the time.
In the 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Antonio Osorto established a successful trading company in Cadiz, Spain, dealing in goods from the Americas. His descendants continued to be involved in maritime trade and commerce for several generations.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the OSORTO surname spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, where it is still found today. Notable individuals with this surname include the Mexican painter and sculptor Manuel Osorto (1901-1984) and the Nicaraguan diplomat and politician José Osorto (1908-1994).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osorto
Among Census respondents with the surname Osorto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Osorto 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 Osorto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.0% · 1,310
- White2.6% · 35
- Black or African American0.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osorto
Osorto appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#24,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,002
+600 bearers (+149.3%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 24,321 places
2020
#19,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,365
+363 bearers (+36.2%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 5,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,159 | 402 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,838 | 1,002 | 0.34 | +600 bearers (+149.3%) | Up 24,321 places |
| 2020 | #19,757 | 1,365 | 0.46 | +363 bearers (+36.2%) | Up 5,081 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 Osorto 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 | #24,838 | #19,757 | 20.5% |
| Count | 1,002 | 1,365 | 36.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.46 | 34.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osorto bearers went from 1,002 to 1,365 (+36.2% change). The surname moved up 5,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,838 to #19,757.
FAQ
Osorto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osorto?
Name Census estimates that about 1,565 living Americans carry the surname Osorto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 219,012 residents.
How common is Osorto?
Osorto ranks #19,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,365 people with the surname Osorto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Osorto.
Has Osorto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osorto went from 1,002 recorded bearers to 1,365. That is an increase of 363 (+36.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,838 to #19,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Osorto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osorto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Osorto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (1,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osorto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.0%), White (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Osorto (2000, 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 Osorto mean?
A habitational surname with Spanish origins indicating someone from a place with that name. 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 Osorto (0.46 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 Americans have the surname Osorto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.