2000
#17,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,515
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Sambrano
Derived from the Spanish word "zambra," referring to a festive Moorish dance or a lively party.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,715 Americans carry the last name Sambrano. That puts it at #12,500 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sambrano 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
2.7K
1 in 126,245
Census rank
#12,500
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,368 bearers of the surname Sambrano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12500th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sambrano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sambrano
The surname Sambrano has its origins in Spain and Italy, dating back to the medieval period. In Spain, the name is believed to have originated from the Latin word "sambucus," meaning "elder tree," suggesting that early bearers of the name may have lived near or worked with elder trees. In Italy, the name is thought to derive from the Latin "sambra," meaning "a type of musical instrument," possibly indicating that the name's earliest holders were musicians or instrument makers.
One of the earliest known references to the name Sambrano can be found in the 12th-century Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript that records the names of pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago in Spain. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period and may have been associated with pilgrimage routes.
The name Sambrano appears in various historical records throughout the centuries. In the 14th century, a nobleman named Juan Sambrano was documented as a landowner in the Kingdom of Aragon, Spain. In the 16th century, an Italian artist named Giovanni Sambrano was known for his intricate fresco paintings in churches across Northern Italy.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Sambrano comes from a 1569 tax record in the city of Seville, Spain, which lists a family with the surname. The name was also found in the parish records of the town of Sambrano, located in the province of Cuneo, Italy, dating back to the 17th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Sambrano include:
1. Pedro Sambrano (1592-1671), a Spanish playwright and poet from Seville, known for his works inspired by the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
2. Lucrezia Sambrano (1667-1734), an Italian operatic soprano who performed in some of the most prestigious opera houses of her time, including La Fenice in Venice.
3. Antonio Sambrano (1760-1831), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as governor of the province of Cádiz.
4. Giovanna Sambrano (1819-1892), an Italian philanthropist and activist who established several schools and hospitals for underprivileged children in Milan.
5. Enrique Sambrano (1901-1978), a Venezuelan painter and sculptor whose works captured the vibrant landscapes and indigenous cultures of his native country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sambrano
Among Census respondents with the surname Sambrano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sambrano 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 Sambrano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.6% · 1,956
- White8.8% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 130
- Two or more races1.6% · 38
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sambrano
Sambrano 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
#14,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
+584 bearers (+38.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 2,953 places
2020
#12,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,368
+269 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 1,768 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,221 | 1,515 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,268 | 2,099 | 0.71 | +584 bearers (+38.5%) | Up 2,953 places |
| 2020 | #12,500 | 2,368 | 0.79 | +269 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 1,768 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 Sambrano 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 | #14,268 | #12,500 | 12.4% |
| Count | 2,099 | 2,368 | 12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.79 | 11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sambrano bearers went from 2,099 to 2,368 (+12.8% change). The surname moved up 1,768 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,268 to #12,500.
FAQ
Sambrano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sambrano?
Name Census estimates that about 2,715 living Americans carry the surname Sambrano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,245 residents.
How common is Sambrano?
Sambrano ranks #12,500 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,368 people with the surname Sambrano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Sambrano.
Has Sambrano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sambrano went from 2,099 recorded bearers to 2,368. That is an increase of 269 (+12.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,268 to #12,500.
What does the Census say about the background of Sambrano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sambrano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%). 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 Sambrano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (1,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sambrano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.6%), White (8.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%). 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 Sambrano (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 Sambrano mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "zambra," referring to a festive Moorish dance or a lively party. 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 Sambrano (0.79 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 Sambrano?
See how many people have the last name Sambrano on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.