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

Tercero, 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 Tercero surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tercero in America

Tercero is the 12827th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tercero surname appeared 2,403 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tercero.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tercero 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 Tercero

The surname TERCERO originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "tercero," which means "third." This name was likely given to the third-born son in a family or to someone who lived or worked on the third property or land area.

In the 13th century, records show the name TERCERO appearing in the Spanish regions of Andalusia and Castile. It is believed to have originated from the Latin word "tertius," which also means "third." Similar spellings included Terciero and Terzero.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TERCERO can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The text mentions a man named Pedro Tercero, who was a huntsman in the king's service.

In the 15th century, the TERCERO name gained prominence with the rise of Diego Tercero (c. 1430-1492), a Spanish soldier and conquistador who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands. He later settled in Gran Canaria and his descendants continued to use the TERCERO surname.

Another notable figure was Juan Tercero (c. 1520-1589), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Francisco Pizarro's expedition to Peru in the 16th century. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Inca Empire and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.

In the 17th century, the TERCERO name appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with a man named Alonso Tercero being tried and convicted for heresy in Seville in 1625.

During the 18th century, a prominent figure with the TERCERO surname was Tomás Tercero (1721-1798), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1786 to 1789.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the TERCERO name spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, Central America, and South America, where it continues to be found today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tercero

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

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

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