2000
#16,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Tostado
A surname of Spanish origin referring to someone with toasted or tanned skin, or a baker of bread.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,237 Americans carry the last name Tostado. That puts it at #14,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tostado 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
2.2K
1 in 153,221
Census rank
#14,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,951 bearers of the surname Tostado in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tostado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tostado
The surname Tostado is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "tostado" meaning "toasted" or "browned." It is believed to have originated in the region of Castile, Spain, sometime during the Middle Ages.
Tostado was likely an occupational surname initially given to someone who worked with toasting or browning bread or other food items. It could also have been a descriptive name referring to someone with a tanned or swarthy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tostado can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a manuscript dating back to the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a person named Alonso Tostado.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Tostado was Alfonso Tostado Ribera (c. 1410-1455), a Spanish Catholic bishop, theologian, and prolific writer. He was known for his extensive biblical commentaries and was appointed Bishop of Avila in 1454.
Another prominent individual bearing the Tostado name was Francisco Tostado (1520-1598), a Spanish theologian and Jesuit missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in Mexico during the Spanish colonization.
In the 16th century, the Tostado surname was also found in the Spanish region of Extremadura, as evidenced by records mentioning a certain Juan Tostado from the town of Cáceres.
During the 17th century, a notable figure with the Tostado name was Pedro Tostado de Ribera (1594-1667), a Spanish military officer and governor of several provinces in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
Over time, the Tostado surname has spread to various parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, due to migration and colonization. However, its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it was likely first used as an occupational or descriptive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tostado
Among Census respondents with the surname Tostado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tostado 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 Tostado surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 1,856
- White3.9% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
- Two or more races0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tostado
Tostado 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
#14,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,127
+564 bearers (+36.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 2,683 places
2020
#14,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,951
-176 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,810 | 1,563 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,127 | 2,127 | 0.72 | +564 bearers (+36.1%) | Up 2,683 places |
| 2020 | #14,652 | 1,951 | 0.65 | -176 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 525 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 Tostado 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 | #14,127 | #14,652 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,127 | 1,951 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.65 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tostado bearers went from 2,127 to 1,951 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 525 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,127 to #14,652.
FAQ
Tostado surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tostado?
Name Census estimates that about 2,237 living Americans carry the surname Tostado. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,221 residents.
How common is Tostado?
Tostado ranks #14,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,951 people with the surname Tostado. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Tostado.
Has Tostado become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tostado went from 2,127 recorded bearers to 1,951. That is a decrease of 176 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,127 to #14,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Tostado?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tostado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) 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 Tostado in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (1,856 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tostado appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (3.9%), 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 Tostado (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 Tostado mean?
A surname of Spanish origin referring to someone with toasted or tanned skin, or a baker of bread. 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 Tostado (0.65 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 Tostado?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.