2000
#12,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Quinteros
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a farmer who paid a quinta, or one-fifth of their harvest, as rent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,091 Americans carry the last name Quinteros. That puts it at #7,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quinteros 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
5.1K
1 in 67,326
Census rank
#7,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,440 bearers of the surname Quinteros in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinteros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quinteros
The surname Quinteros originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "quinta," which refers to a small farm or country estate. The name likely originated as a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers lived on or near such a quinta.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quinteros dates back to the 13th century in the region of Andalusia, southern Spain. It appears in various medieval manuscripts and records from that area, sometimes spelled as "Quintero" or "Quinteiros."
In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, many Spaniards bearing the surname Quinteros participated in the exploration and colonization of the New World. Some of the earliest settlers in the Americas with this name were recorded in various regions, including Mexico, Peru, and Argentina.
One notable figure with the surname Quinteros was Pedro Quinteros, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Another was Juan Quinteros, a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Philippines in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Quinteros family settled in the region of Extremadura, Spain. One of the most prominent members of this branch was Alonso Quinteros, a poet and playwright born in 1631, known for his works in the Spanish Golden Age literature.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Quinteros surname spread to various Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, particularly in Argentina and Chile. Notable individuals from this period include José María Quinteros, an Argentine military officer and politician who fought in the Argentine War of Independence (1810-1818).
Another significant figure was Manuel Quinteros, a Chilean writer and journalist born in 1835, known for his contributions to the development of Chilean literature and his advocacy for social and political reforms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quinteros
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinteros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Quinteros 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 Quinteros surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.4% · 4,235
- White3.7% · 166
- Black or African American0.5% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quinteros
Quinteros 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
#8,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,885
+1,599 bearers (+69.9%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 3,971 places
2020
#7,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,440
+555 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Up 1,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,456 | 2,286 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,485 | 3,885 | 1.32 | +1,599 bearers (+69.9%) | Up 3,971 places |
| 2020 | #7,247 | 4,440 | 1.49 | +555 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 1,238 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 Quinteros 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 | #8,485 | #7,247 | 14.6% |
| Count | 3,885 | 4,440 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.49 | 12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quinteros bearers went from 3,885 to 4,440 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 1,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,485 to #7,247.
FAQ
Quinteros surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quinteros?
Name Census estimates that about 5,091 living Americans carry the surname Quinteros. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,326 residents.
How common is Quinteros?
Quinteros ranks #7,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,440 people with the surname Quinteros. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Quinteros.
Has Quinteros become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quinteros went from 3,885 recorded bearers to 4,440. That is an increase of 555 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,485 to #7,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Quinteros?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quinteros, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Quinteros in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (4,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quinteros appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.4%), White (3.7%), Black (0.5%). 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 Quinteros (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 Quinteros mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a farmer who paid a quinta, or one-fifth of their harvest, as rent. 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 Quinteros (1.49 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 Quinteros?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.