2000
#3,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.49
Uncommon Last name
Porras
A Spanish topographic surname indicating someone who lived near or worked in a vegetable garden or leek field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,343 Americans carry the last name Porras. That puts it at #3,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Porras 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
13K
1 in 25,688
Census rank
#3,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,636 bearers of the surname Porras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Porras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Porras
The surname Porras is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. The name is derived from the Spanish word "porra," which translates to "club" or "mace," suggesting a possible connection to an ancestor's occupation or skill with such weapons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Porras surname can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Libro de la Montería" by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which mentions a person named Porras in the context of hunting expeditions. This suggests that the name was already in use during that period.
The Porras name is also linked to various place names in Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile and Andalusia. For example, the municipality of Porras in the province of Burgos likely contributed to the spread of the surname in that area.
In the 15th century, the Porras family gained prominence in Seville, with notable figures such as Juan de Porras, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived from 1425 to 1498. Another prominent member of the family was Rodrigo de Porras, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Porras surname spread across the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in regions like Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. One notable bearer of the name was Gaspar de Porras, a Spanish explorer and soldier who participated in the conquest of Chile in the late 16th century.
In the realm of literature, the Spanish author Diego Porras Huarte (1570-1631) gained recognition for his work "Libro de la Verdad," a philosophical treatise published in 1598.
Other notable individuals with the Porras surname include Melchor Porras Castellanos (1693-1768), a Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works, and José María Porras y Porras (1859-1925), a Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Peru from 1915 to 1917.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Porras
Among Census respondents with the surname Porras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Porras 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 Porras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 10,428
- White7.0% · 810
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 248
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 58
- Two or more races0.5% · 58
- Black or African American0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Porras
Porras 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
#2,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,106
+2,687 bearers (+28.5%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Up 505 places
2020
#3,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,636
-470 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.89
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,467 | 9,419 | 3.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,962 | 12,106 | 4.10 | +2,687 bearers (+28.5%) | Up 505 places |
| 2020 | #3,021 | 11,636 | 3.89 | -470 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 59 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 Porras 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 | #2,962 | #3,021 | -2.0% |
| Count | 12,106 | 11,636 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.10 | 3.89 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Porras bearers went from 12,106 to 11,636 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,962 to #3,021.
FAQ
Porras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Porras?
Name Census estimates that about 13,343 living Americans carry the surname Porras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,688 residents.
How common is Porras?
Porras ranks #3,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,636 people with the surname Porras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Porras.
Has Porras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Porras went from 12,106 recorded bearers to 11,636. That is a decrease of 470 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,962 to #3,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Porras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Porras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Porras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (10,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Porras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Porras (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 Porras mean?
A Spanish topographic surname indicating someone who lived near or worked in a vegetable garden or leek field. 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 Porras (3.89 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 common is the surname Porras?
You can see how many people have the surname Porras on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.