2000
#17,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Tercero
A Spanish surname indicating the third child, third born son, or someone who occupied a house third in a row.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,848 Americans carry the last name Tercero. That puts it at #12,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tercero 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
2.8K
1 in 120,349
Census rank
#12,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,484 bearers of the surname Tercero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tercero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tercero
Among Census respondents with the surname Tercero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tercero 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 Tercero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 2,287
- White5.9% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- Two or more races0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tercero
Tercero 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
#12,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,403
+968 bearers (+67.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 5,125 places
2020
#12,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
+81 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 822 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,952 | 1,435 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,827 | 2,403 | 0.81 | +968 bearers (+67.5%) | Up 5,125 places |
| 2020 | #12,005 | 2,484 | 0.83 | +81 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 822 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 Tercero 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 | #12,827 | #12,005 | 6.4% |
| Count | 2,403 | 2,484 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.83 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tercero bearers went from 2,403 to 2,484 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 822 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,827 to #12,005.
FAQ
Tercero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tercero?
Name Census estimates that about 2,848 living Americans carry the surname Tercero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,349 residents.
How common is Tercero?
Tercero ranks #12,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,484 people with the surname Tercero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,848), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tercero.
Has Tercero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tercero went from 2,403 recorded bearers to 2,484. That is an increase of 81 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,827 to #12,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Tercero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tercero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Tercero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tercero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Tercero (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 Tercero mean?
A Spanish surname indicating the third child, third born son, or someone who occupied a house third in a row. 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 Tercero (0.83 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 Tercero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.