2000
#1,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,956
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.29
Uncommon Last name
Otero
A Spanish surname derived from a place name referring to a high, rocky hill or plateau.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,768 Americans carry the last name Otero. That puts it at #1,617 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Otero 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Otero with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,839
Census rank
#1,617
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,599 bearers of the surname Otero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1617th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Otero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Otero
The surname Otero originated in Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "otero," which means a small hill or knoll. This suggests that the name likely originated from a person who lived near or on a small hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the Otero surname appear in medieval Spanish documents and manuscripts. For example, it is mentioned in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that recorded information about landowners and their properties.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Otero was Pedro Otero, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the 13th century and was recorded as owning land in the region of Galicia.
Another notable figure with the Otero surname was Álvaro Otero de Prado, a Spanish military commander who served under King Ferdinand II of Aragon in the 15th century. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
In the 16th century, Hernando de Otero was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and was later granted land and titles by the Spanish Crown.
During the 17th century, Diego Otero y Sotomayor was a prominent Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of Chile from 1629 to 1632. He was known for his efforts to strengthen Spanish control over the region and his conflicts with the indigenous Mapuche people.
In the 19th century, Manuel Otero was a Cuban poet and writer who was part of the Romantic literary movement in Latin America. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Rimas Americanas," which celebrated the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the Americas.
The Otero surname can also be found in various place names throughout Spain, such as Otero de Herrero, Otero de Bodas, and Otero de Sanabria, among others. These place names often reflect the presence of small hills or knolls in the area, further reinforcing the geographic connection of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Otero
Among Census respondents with the surname Otero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Otero 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 Otero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.5% · 19,111
- White8.8% · 1,890
- Black or African American0.9% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 162
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 143
- Two or more races0.5% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Otero
Otero 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
#1,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,937
+3,981 bearers (+23.5%)
Per 100,000 7.10
Rank movement Up 231 places
2020
#1,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,599
+662 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.23
Rank movement Up 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,947 | 16,956 | 6.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,716 | 20,937 | 7.10 | +3,981 bearers (+23.5%) | Up 231 places |
| 2020 | #1,617 | 21,599 | 7.23 | +662 bearers (+3.2%) | Up 99 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 Otero 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 | #1,716 | #1,617 | 5.8% |
| Count | 20,937 | 21,599 | 3.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.10 | 7.23 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Otero bearers went from 20,937 to 21,599 (+3.2% change). The surname moved up 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,716 to #1,617.
FAQ
Otero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Otero?
Name Census estimates that about 24,768 living Americans carry the surname Otero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,839 residents.
How common is Otero?
Otero ranks #1,617 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,599 people with the surname Otero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Otero.
Has Otero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Otero went from 20,937 recorded bearers to 21,599. That is an increase of 662 (+3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,716 to #1,617.
What does the Census say about the background of Otero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Otero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) 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 Otero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (19,111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Otero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.5%), White (8.8%), 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 Otero (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 Otero mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a place name referring to a high, rocky hill or plateau. 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 Otero (7.23 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 are called Otero?
See how many people are called Otero on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.