Torrales last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Torrales

A Spanish surname possibly derived from a place name based on the Spanish word "torre" meaning "tower".

Torrales, 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 Torrales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torrales in America

Torrales is the 122314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torrales surname appeared 141 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Torrales.

The history of the last name Torrales

The surname Torrales is believed to have originated in Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "torre," which means "tower," and the plural suffix "-ales," indicating a connection to towers or fortified structures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torrales can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt) written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This book mentions a place called "Las Torrales" in the region of Extremadura, suggesting that the surname may have originated from this location.

In the 15th century, the name Torrales appeared in various historical documents and records from the Kingdom of Aragon and the Crown of Castile. For example, a man named Juan de Torrales was mentioned in a legal document dated 1472 in the city of Seville.

During the 16th century, the surname Torrales gained prominence, and several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was Pedro de Torrales, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

Another important figure with the surname Torrales was Fray Diego de Torrales, a Franciscan friar and missionary who lived from 1509 to 1570. He played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in New Spain (present-day Mexico) during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

In the 17th century, the name Torrales was also found in various regions of Spain. One notable individual was Alonso de Torrales y Guzmán, a Spanish nobleman and military officer who served as the governor of the province of Charcas (now part of Bolivia) in the early 1600s.

Throughout history, the surname Torrales has been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Torrales de Jarama in the Community of Madrid and Torrales de Avila in the province of Ávila. These place names likely contributed to the spread and evolution of the surname over time.

While the surname Torrales is not among the most common in Spain today, it has a rich historical legacy and can be traced back to medieval times, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the Spanish language and its surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torrales

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

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 Torrales was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.26% 6
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 95.04% 134

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.

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Torrales, please contact us.

Reference this page

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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!

"Torrales last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/torrales-surname-popularity/.

"Torrales last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/torrales-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Torrales last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/torrales-surname-popularity/.

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