2000
#27,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Ureno
Italian surname derived from an ancient Roman personal name, meaning "little bear" or "little olive tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,173 Americans carry the last name Ureno. That puts it at #25,327 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 292,203 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ureno 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
1.2K
1 in 292,203
Census rank
#25,327
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,023 bearers of the surname Ureno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25327th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ureno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ureno
The surname Ureno has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Galicia. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, deriving from the Galician word "uro," which means "bear." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or a descriptive surname given to someone who possessed bear-like qualities or had a connection with bears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ureno can be found in the 13th-century "Tumbo Negro de Santiago," a historical manuscript that contained records of land grants and other transactions in the Santiago de Compostela region. This document mentions an individual named Pedro Ureno, who was involved in a property dispute.
In the 15th century, there are records of a notable figure named Juan Ureno, who served as a court official under King Juan II of Castile. Juan Ureno played a significant role in the administrative affairs of the kingdom during that period.
As the name spread beyond Galicia, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Ureño, Ureña, and Urena. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.
One notable bearer of the name Ureno was Alonso Ureño, a 16th-century Spanish poet and playwright. Born in Toledo in 1516, Ureño was acclaimed for his literary works, including comedies and religious plays.
Another prominent individual with the surname Ureno was Martín Ureño, a 17th-century Spanish military officer and explorer. He participated in expeditions to the New World and played a role in the colonization efforts in the Americas.
In the 18th century, the name Ureno was associated with a influential family from Asturias. Manuel Ureno y Fernández, born in 1725, was a prominent landowner and local administrator who wielded significant influence in the region.
Over the centuries, the surname Ureno has spread beyond Spain and can now be found in various parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with historical ties to Spain, such as Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ureno
Among Census respondents with the surname Ureno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ureno 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 Ureno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 979
- White3.7% · 38
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ureno
Ureno 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
#22,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,153
+326 bearers (+39.4%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 5,093 places
2020
#25,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,023
-130 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 2,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,439 | 827 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,346 | 1,153 | 0.39 | +326 bearers (+39.4%) | Up 5,093 places |
| 2020 | #25,327 | 1,023 | 0.34 | -130 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 2,981 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 Ureno 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 | #22,346 | #25,327 | -13.3% |
| Count | 1,153 | 1,023 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.34 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ureno bearers went from 1,153 to 1,023 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 2,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,346 to #25,327.
FAQ
Ureno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ureno?
Name Census estimates that about 1,173 living Americans carry the surname Ureno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 292,203 residents.
How common is Ureno?
Ureno ranks #25,327 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,023 people with the surname Ureno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ureno.
Has Ureno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ureno went from 1,153 recorded bearers to 1,023. That is a decrease of 130 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,346 to #25,327.
What does the Census say about the background of Ureno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ureno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Ureno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (979 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ureno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.7%), White (3.7%), Black (0.3%). 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 Ureno (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 Ureno mean?
Italian surname derived from an ancient Roman personal name, meaning "little bear" or "little olive tree". 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 Ureno (0.34 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 are called Ureno?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ureno at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.