Portillos last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Portillos is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Portillos.

Meaning of Portillos

A Spanish surname derived from the Spanish word "portillo" meaning a small gate or portal.

Portillos, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Portillos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portillos in America

Portillos is the 95115th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portillos surname appeared 192 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Portillos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portillos to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 95115 108734 -13.36%
Count 192 151 23.91%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.06 15.38%

The history of the last name Portillos

The surname Portillos has its origins in Spain, where it first appeared in the 11th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "portillo," which means a small gate or doorway, often referring to a pass through mountains or a gate in a fortified wall. This suggests that the name may have originated from a family that lived near or guarded such a gate or pass.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Portillos can be found in a document from the year 1086, which mentions a nobleman named Rodrigo de Portillos. This document is part of the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain.

In the 13th century, the name Portillos appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book mentions a place called "Los Portillos" in the region of Extremadura, possibly indicating that the name may have been associated with this location.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Portillos was Juan de Portillos, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century. He was born in Seville, Spain, in the late 15th century and accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to the Americas.

Another prominent individual with the surname Portillos was Juan Andrés Portillos, a Spanish philosopher and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Medina del Campo in 1642 and is known for his works on moral philosophy and theology.

In the 18th century, José Portillos y Rincón was a Spanish military engineer and architect. He was born in Murcia in 1723 and is credited with designing several important fortifications and buildings in Spain and its colonies.

A more recent figure with the surname Portillos is Alfonso Portillos, a Mexican actor and comedian who rose to fame in the mid-20th century. He was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1922 and is best known for his roles in Mexican films and television shows.

Lastly, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Portillos is the Mexican chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless, whose full name is Rick Bayless Portillos. He was born in 1953 and is renowned for his Mexican cuisine and for popularizing regional Mexican dishes in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portillos

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Portillos.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Portillos was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.25% 12
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 92.19% 177

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Portillos has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.25% 3.97% 44.62%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 92.19% 95.36% -3.38%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Portillos was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Portillos, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Portillos last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/portillos-surname-popularity/.

"Portillos last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/portillos-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Portillos last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/portillos-surname-popularity/.

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