2000
#9,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,195
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Tinajero
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a potter or someone who makes earthenware jars and pots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,505 Americans carry the last name Tinajero. That puts it at #6,751 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tinajero 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
5.5K
1 in 62,262
Census rank
#6,751
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,801 bearers of the surname Tinajero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6751st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinajero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tinajero
The surname Tinajero has its origins in Spain, and it can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "tinaja," which means a large earthenware jar or vessel used for storing liquids, particularly wine or olive oil. The name likely originated from a person who was involved in the production, transportation, or sale of these vessels.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tinajero can be found in the Catalan Fogatge (tax census) of 1358, where a person named Guillem Tinajero was listed as a resident of the town of Vilafranca del Penedès, located in the province of Barcelona.
In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Tinajero in the city of Seville, Andalusia. The surname was particularly prevalent in this region, where the production of earthenware vessels for storing olive oil was a significant industry.
During the 16th century, the Tinajero family played a notable role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Juan Tinajero, born in 1532 in Seville, was one of the earliest Spanish settlers in present-day Mexico. He was granted land in the state of Puebla, where he established a hacienda and contributed to the development of the region's agricultural industries.
Another notable figure with the surname Tinajero was Pedro Tinajero, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the late 16th century. He was born in 1545 in Córdoba, Spain, and died in 1612 in Santiago, Chile.
In the 18th century, the Tinajero family had a presence in various parts of Spanish America. One notable individual was José Tinajero, a Creole landowner and politician born in 1724 in Quito, in what is now Ecuador. He played a significant role in the local government and was a respected figure in the community.
The surname Tinajero can also be found in historical records from other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Argentina, where a town called Tinajeros was established in the province of Córdoba in the 19th century, likely named after a prominent local family.
While the surname Tinajero is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain. The name has been carried by individuals who have contributed to various aspects of Spanish and Latin American history, including exploration, colonization, and local governance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tinajero
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinajero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tinajero 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 Tinajero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.0% · 4,610
- White3.1% · 149
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 8
- Two or more races0.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tinajero
Tinajero 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
#6,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,940
+1,745 bearers (+54.6%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 2,532 places
2020
#6,751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,801
-139 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,357 | 3,195 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,825 | 4,940 | 1.67 | +1,745 bearers (+54.6%) | Up 2,532 places |
| 2020 | #6,751 | 4,801 | 1.61 | -139 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 74 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 Tinajero 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 | #6,825 | #6,751 | 1.1% |
| Count | 4,940 | 4,801 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.61 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tinajero bearers went from 4,940 to 4,801 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,825 to #6,751.
FAQ
Tinajero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tinajero?
Name Census estimates that about 5,505 living Americans carry the surname Tinajero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,262 residents.
How common is Tinajero?
Tinajero ranks #6,751 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,801 people with the surname Tinajero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tinajero.
Has Tinajero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tinajero went from 4,940 recorded bearers to 4,801. That is a decrease of 139 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,825 to #6,751.
What does the Census say about the background of Tinajero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinajero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Tinajero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (4,610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tinajero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.0%), White (3.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Tinajero (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 Tinajero mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a potter or someone who makes earthenware jars and pots. 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 Tinajero (1.61 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 have the surname Tinajero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.