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

Tello, 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 Tello surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tello in America

Tello is the 3136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tello surname appeared 11,512 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Tello.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tello 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 Tello

The surname Tello is believed to have originated in Spain, derived from the Latin word "tellus," which means "earth" or "land." It is thought to have been initially used as a nickname for someone who lived in or worked on the land.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tello date back to the 12th century in various regions of Spain, such as Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia. The name appears in several medieval documents and records, including the Becerro de las Behetrías, a census of landholdings and properties in the Kingdom of Castile from the late 13th century.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Tello was Tello Alfonso, a 13th-century nobleman from the Kingdom of León. He held influential positions in the court of King Alfonso IX and participated in the conquest of the city of Seville in 1248.

In the 14th century, the Tello family gained prominence in Castile, with several members holding important positions in the royal court and military. One of the most renowned figures was Tello de Castilla, a prominent military leader and the fifth son of King Alfonso XI of Castile. He was born around 1337 and played a crucial role in the Castilian Civil War.

Another notable figure was Juan Tello y Lozada, a 16th-century Spanish conquistador and explorer. He was involved in the conquest of Chile and served as the governor of the city of Santiago from 1563 to 1565.

In the realm of literature, the name Tello is associated with the renowned Spanish playwright and poet, Gabriel Tello de Sandoval, who lived from 1548 to 1618. He was known for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature and his works, which included plays and poetry.

The surname Tello has also been linked to various place names in Spain, such as Tello in the province of Huesca, and Telledo in the province of Burgos. These place names may have influenced the spelling and variations of the surname over time.

Other notable individuals with the surname Tello throughout history include Francisco Tello de Guzmán, a 17th-century Spanish military officer and governor of Panama; José Tello, a 19th-century Peruvian archaeologist and scholar known for his contributions to the study of pre-Columbian cultures; and Alfonso Tello, a 20th-century Spanish film director and screenwriter.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tello

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

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

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

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