2000
#4,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.86
Uncommon Last name
Tello
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Tello, which is of uncertain origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,245 Americans carry the last name Tello. That puts it at #3,305 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,991 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tello 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
12K
1 in 27,991
Census rank
#3,305
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,678 bearers of the surname Tello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3305th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tello
Among Census respondents with the surname Tello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tello 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 Tello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.2% · 9,738
- White7.1% · 759
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 71
- Black or African American0.6% · 64
- Two or more races0.2% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tello
Tello 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
#3,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,512
+3,805 bearers (+49.4%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Up 1,116 places
2020
#3,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,678
-834 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,252 | 7,707 | 2.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,136 | 11,512 | 3.90 | +3,805 bearers (+49.4%) | Up 1,116 places |
| 2020 | #3,305 | 10,678 | 3.57 | -834 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 169 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 Tello 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 | #3,136 | #3,305 | -5.4% |
| Count | 11,512 | 10,678 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.90 | 3.57 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tello bearers went from 11,512 to 10,678 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,136 to #3,305.
FAQ
Tello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tello?
Name Census estimates that about 12,245 living Americans carry the surname Tello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,991 residents.
How common is Tello?
Tello ranks #3,305 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,678 people with the surname Tello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Tello.
Has Tello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tello went from 11,512 recorded bearers to 10,678. That is a decrease of 834 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,136 to #3,305.
What does the Census say about the background of Tello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Tello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (9,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.2%), White (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Tello (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 Tello mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name Tello, which is of uncertain origin and meaning. 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 Tello (3.57 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 share the surname Tello?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.