2000
#11,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Retana
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "spring" or "fountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,039 Americans carry the last name Retana. That puts it at #8,917 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Retana 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
4.0K
1 in 84,861
Census rank
#8,917
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,522 bearers of the surname Retana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8917th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Retana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Retana
The surname Retana has its origins in Spain, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "retaña," which means a type of broom plant or bush. It is believed that the surname was initially given to someone who lived near or worked with retaña plants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Retana surname can be found in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document from 1253 that recorded the distribution of land and property after the reconquest of Seville from the Moors. This document mentions individuals with the surname Retana, suggesting that the name was already established in southern Spain at that time.
In the 15th century, the Retana family was prominent in the region of Murcia, where they held significant land and influence. One notable member was Juan Retana, who served as a high-ranking military officer under the Catholic Monarchs during the Reconquista and the conquest of Granada in the late 15th century.
The surname Retana also appears in various historical records from other parts of Spain, including Catalonia and Aragon. In the 16th century, Miguel Retana, a nobleman from Zaragoza, was appointed as the governor of the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo in the Americas.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Retana surname spread to various parts of the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Central America. In the 19th century, José María Retana y Gamboa, a Guatemalan military officer and politician, played a significant role in the Central American independence movement.
Another notable figure with the Retana surname was Wenceslao Retana, a Spanish writer, journalist, and historian born in the Philippines in 1862. He was known for his works on Philippine history and culture, including the influential book "Aparato Bibliográfico de la Historia General de Filipinas."
Other individuals with the Retana surname include Rafael Retana, a Mexican painter and engraver active in the early 20th century, and Álvaro Retana, a Costa Rican politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations in the 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Retana
Among Census respondents with the surname Retana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Retana 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 Retana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.5% · 3,363
- White3.8% · 134
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Retana
Retana 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
#8,832
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,710
+1,268 bearers (+51.9%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 2,921 places
2020
#8,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,522
-188 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,753 | 2,442 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,832 | 3,710 | 1.26 | +1,268 bearers (+51.9%) | Up 2,921 places |
| 2020 | #8,917 | 3,522 | 1.18 | -188 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 85 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 Retana 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 | #8,832 | #8,917 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,710 | 3,522 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.18 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Retana bearers went from 3,710 to 3,522 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,832 to #8,917.
FAQ
Retana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Retana?
Name Census estimates that about 4,039 living Americans carry the surname Retana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,861 residents.
How common is Retana?
Retana ranks #8,917 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,522 people with the surname Retana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Retana.
Has Retana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Retana went from 3,710 recorded bearers to 3,522. That is a decrease of 188 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,832 to #8,917.
What does the Census say about the background of Retana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Retana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Retana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (3,363 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Retana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.5%), White (3.8%), Black (0.4%). 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 Retana (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 Retana mean?
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "spring" or "fountain." 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 Retana (1.18 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 Retana?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Retana on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.