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

Torres, 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 Torres surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torres in America

Torres is the 37th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torres surname appeared 437,813 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 148 people would have the surname Torres.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torres 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 Torres

The surname Torres is of Spanish origin and has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Castile and León. It is derived from the Spanish word "torre," meaning "tower" or "fortified structure." This suggests that the name's bearers may have been associated with living near or guarding a tower or similar fortification in medieval times.

The earliest recorded instances of the Torres surname can be traced back to the 11th and 12th centuries in various historical documents and records from the Kingdom of Castile and León. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census and land registry compiled in the late 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile.

During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories from Moorish rule, individuals with the Torres surname played a role in the military campaigns and the subsequent repopulation of conquered areas. This may have contributed to the widespread dissemination of the name across Spain.

Historically, the Torres surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Pedro Ruiz de Torres Cabrera (1499-1571), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He was granted encomiendas (a system of labor and tributes) in recognition of his service.

Another prominent bearer of the Torres name was Juan Rodríguez de Torres (c. 1580-1638), a Spanish admiral and explorer who commanded several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and the coasts of California and the Pacific Northwest in the early 17th century.

In the realm of literature, the Torres surname is associated with the Spanish poet and playwright Jerónimo de Torres y Aguilera (c. 1545-1619), known for his works such as "La Austríada" and "La Penitencia de Amor."

In the field of art, the Spanish painter and engraver Juan de Torres Martínez (c. 1625-1679) made significant contributions to the Baroque style of painting in Spain during the 17th century.

It is also worth mentioning that the Torres surname has been widely adopted and disseminated across Latin America, particularly in regions like Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, due to the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torres

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

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

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

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