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

Socorro, 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 Socorro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Socorro in America

Socorro is the 32750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Socorro surname appeared 701 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 Socorro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Socorro 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.

The history of the last name Socorro

The surname Socorro has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "socorro," which means aid, help, or assistance. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who provided aid or assistance to others.

In the early years, the name was often spelled as "Socoro" or "Socorra," reflecting the variations in orthography and pronunciation common in that era. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in historical documents from the regions of Castile and Andalusia in Spain.

One notable historical reference to the name Socorro comes from the 16th century, when a certain Juan de Socorro was mentioned in the chronicles of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. He was a soldier who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the expedition and played a role in the events that led to the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Another early bearer of the surname was María de Socorro, a Spanish noblewoman born in 1587 in Seville. She was known for her philanthropic work and her support for charitable causes, aligning with the meaning of her surname.

In the 17th century, the name Socorro appeared in various records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, Pedro de Socorro was a prominent landowner and rancher in the region that is now New Mexico, born in 1634.

As the name spread across the Spanish-speaking world, it also gave rise to various place names, such as Socorro County in New Mexico and the city of Socorro in El Salvador, both named after individuals or events associated with the concept of "socorro" or assistance.

One of the most famous bearers of the Socorro surname was Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811), a Mexican priest and revolutionary leader who is often referred to as the "Father of Mexican Independence." His mother's maiden name was Socorro, reflecting the family's Spanish ancestry.

In the 20th century, notable figures with the Socorro surname include the Mexican painter and sculptor Juan García Socorro (1912-1994), known for his contributions to the Mexican mural movement, and the Peruvian writer and poet Nora Socorro Balcázar (1918-2004), who explored themes of identity and social justice in her works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Socorro

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

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 Socorro was:

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!