2000
#2,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.52
Uncommon Last name
Torrez
A Spanish-derived surname referring to a person living near a tower or coming from a place called Torres.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,666 Americans carry the last name Torrez. That puts it at #2,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,402 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Torrez 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
18K
1 in 19,402
Census rank
#2,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,406 bearers of the surname Torrez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Torrez
The surname Torrez originated in Spain, and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "torre," which means "tower" in English. This name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent tower or fortress.
In the early records, the name was often spelled as "Torres" or "Torrs." One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 13th-century document that listed landowners and their properties in the Castilian region of Spain.
One notable individual with the surname Torrez was Gonzalo Fernández de Torrez, a Spanish nobleman and military leader who lived in the 14th century. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the Christian campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
In the 15th century, Juan de Torrez, a Spanish explorer, accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He later became one of the first European settlers in the Caribbean region.
Another prominent figure was Diego de Torrez y Villarroel, a Spanish writer and mathematician who lived from 1693 to 1770. He was known for his satirical works and contributions to the field of mathematics.
In the 19th century, Rafael Torrez Campos, a Venezuelan military leader and politician, played a crucial role in the country's struggle for independence from Spain. He was born in 1786 and died in 1851.
The surname Torrez can also be found in various place names across Spain, such as Torres del Río, Torres de Berrellén, and Torres de Albánchez, among others. These place names often indicate areas where the name was prevalent or where people with the surname Torrez had settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Torrez
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Torrez 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 Torrez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.9% · 13,691
- White9.0% · 1,380
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 115
- Two or more races0.6% · 91
- Black or African American0.5% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Torrez
Torrez 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
#2,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,795
+1,891 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 5.69
Rank movement Up 76 places
2020
#2,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,406
-1,389 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 5.15
Rank movement Down 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,236 | 14,904 | 5.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,160 | 16,795 | 5.69 | +1,891 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 76 places |
| 2020 | #2,307 | 15,406 | 5.15 | -1,389 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 147 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 Torrez 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 | #2,160 | #2,307 | -6.8% |
| Count | 16,795 | 15,406 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.69 | 5.15 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Torrez bearers went from 16,795 to 15,406 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,160 to #2,307.
FAQ
Torrez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Torrez?
Name Census estimates that about 17,666 living Americans carry the surname Torrez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,402 residents.
How common is Torrez?
Torrez ranks #2,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,406 people with the surname Torrez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Torrez.
Has Torrez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Torrez went from 16,795 recorded bearers to 15,406. That is a decrease of 1,389 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,160 to #2,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Torrez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). 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 Torrez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (13,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Torrez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.9%), White (9.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). 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 Torrez (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 Torrez mean?
A Spanish-derived surname referring to a person living near a tower or coming from a place called Torres. 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 Torrez (5.15 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 Torrez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.