2000
#9,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Terrones
Derived from the Spanish word "terrones," meaning lumps of earth or clods, likely referring to an agricultural worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,017 Americans carry the last name Terrones. That puts it at #8,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Terrones 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
4.0K
1 in 85,326
Census rank
#8,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,503 bearers of the surname Terrones in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Terrones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Terrones
The surname Terrones originates from Spain and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "terrón," which means a clod of earth or a lump of soil. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a farmer or lived in a rural area surrounded by fields and farmland.
The earliest recorded instances of the Terrones surname can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century census of landowners and vassals in the Kingdom of Castile.
During the 15th century, the Terrones name was associated with several prominent figures in Spain. One such individual was Juan Terrones, a wealthy landowner and nobleman who lived in the city of Córdoba. Another was Hernán Terrones, a military captain who served under King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the Reconquista.
As Spain expanded its territories through exploration and colonization, the Terrones surname spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America. In the 16th century, a Spanish explorer named Diego Terrones de Velasco accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and later became one of the first settlers in the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Terrones name was Fray Alonso Terrones, a Spanish missionary and historian who lived in New Spain (present-day Mexico). He authored several works documenting the history and culture of the indigenous peoples in the region.
Another significant individual was Juan Bautista Terrones, a wealthy landowner and rancher who lived in the Viceroyalty of Peru during the 18th century. He was known for his vast haciendas and his contributions to the local economy.
Over the centuries, the Terrones surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, politicians, and intellectuals. Some notable examples include the Mexican painter and muralist Alfredo Terrones (1887-1965) and the Peruvian writer and journalist José Terrones Benítez (1893-1974).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terrones
Among Census respondents with the surname Terrones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Terrones 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 Terrones surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.7% · 3,212
- White7.0% · 244
- Two or more races0.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Terrones
Terrones 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
#7,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,448
+1,378 bearers (+44.9%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 2,218 places
2020
#8,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,503
-945 bearers (-21.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 1,473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,708 | 3,070 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,490 | 4,448 | 1.51 | +1,378 bearers (+44.9%) | Up 2,218 places |
| 2020 | #8,963 | 3,503 | 1.17 | -945 bearers (-21.2%) | Down 1,473 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 Terrones 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 | #7,490 | #8,963 | -19.7% |
| Count | 4,448 | 3,503 | -21.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.17 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Terrones bearers went from 4,448 to 3,503 (-21.2% change). The surname moved down 1,473 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,490 to #8,963.
FAQ
Terrones surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Terrones?
Name Census estimates that about 4,017 living Americans carry the surname Terrones. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,326 residents.
How common is Terrones?
Terrones ranks #8,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,503 people with the surname Terrones. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,017), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Terrones.
Has Terrones become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Terrones went from 4,448 recorded bearers to 3,503. That is a decrease of 945 (-21.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,490 to #8,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Terrones?
Among Census respondents with the surname Terrones, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Terrones in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Terrones appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.7%), White (7.0%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Terrones (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 Terrones mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "terrones," meaning lumps of earth or clods, likely referring to an agricultural worker. 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 Terrones (1.17 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 Americans have the surname Terrones?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.