Seco last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Seco

A Spanish surname derived from the word "seco," meaning dry or arid.

Seco, 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 Seco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seco in America

Seco is the 101737th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seco surname appeared 177 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 Seco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seco 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 101737 77472 27.08%
Count 177 230 -26.04%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.09 -40.00%

The history of the last name Seco

The surname SECO has its roots in Spain, originating in the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish adjective "seco," which means "dry" or "arid." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who resided in a dry or arid region.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the SECO surname can be found in the historic manuscripts of Castile, a prominent kingdom of medieval Spain. The name appears in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a compilation of records from the 14th century, which documented the names of individuals and their lands.

During the 15th century, the SECO name gained prominence with the birth of Juan Seco (1435-1491), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served under King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Juan Seco played a crucial role in the conquest of Granada, which marked the end of the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to expel the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.

Another notable bearer of the SECO surname was Hernando de Seco (1551-1630), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru. Hernando de Seco was instrumental in the conquest of the Inca Empire and is credited with capturing the Inca ruler Atahualpa in 1532.

In the realm of literature, Pedro Seco de Rojas (1550-1620) was a prominent Spanish playwright and poet known for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age theater. His works, such as "El desdén vengado" (Disdain Avenged), were widely acclaimed and influenced other writers of his time.

Moving forward to the 19th century, Ramón Seco Baldor (1838-1891) was a renowned Spanish mathematician and educator. His textbook, "Álgebra de Baldor" (Baldor's Algebra), became a widely used and influential resource for teaching mathematics throughout Latin America.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the SECO surname throughout history, reflecting its Spanish origins and the diverse fields in which bearers of this name have made their mark.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seco

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

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 Seco was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 46.89% 83
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 51.41% 91

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 Seco has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 46.89% 49.57% -5.56%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 51.41% 47.83% 7.21%

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 Seco was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seco, 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!

"Seco last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 12, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/seco-surname-popularity/.

"Seco last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/seco-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 May, 2025

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

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