2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Urtecho
A surname of Spanish origin, possibly related to the word "huerto" (orchard or garden).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 219 Americans carry the last name Urtecho. That puts it at #100,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,565,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urtecho 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
219
1 in 1,565,088
Census rank
#100,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
191
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 191 bearers of the surname Urtecho in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urtecho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urtecho
The surname "URTECHO" is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots to the Basque region located in northern Spain and southwestern France. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The name "URTECHO" is thought to be derived from a combination of two Basque words: "ur" meaning water, and "etxe" meaning house or dwelling. This suggests that the surname may have initially referred to a residence near a water source, such as a river, stream, or lake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "URTECHO" can be found in the Cartularios de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval manuscripts dating back to the 9th century. These documents mention individuals with variations of the surname, such as "Urtecho" and "Urtexo," indicating its use in the region during that time.
During the 15th century, the name "URTECHO" appeared in various records and documents from the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Navarra. One notable bearer of the name was Juan de Urtecho, a respected landowner and magistrate who lived in the town of Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, in the late 1400s.
As the centuries progressed, members of the Urtecho family dispersed throughout Spain and beyond. In the 17th century, Bernardo de Urtecho was a renowned Basque navigator who played a crucial role in exploring and mapping the Pacific Ocean and the coasts of California.
Another notable figure with the surname "URTECHO" was María Urtecho, a Spanish author and playwright who lived in the early 19th century. She was known for her works that explored themes of love, passion, and societal norms.
In the 20th century, Miguel Urtecho Navarro was a prominent Nicaraguan politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1950s. He was an influential figure in shaping the country's international relations during that period.
It is worth mentioning that while the surname "URTECHO" originated in the Basque region, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries with a significant Spanish influence, such as Mexico, Colombia, and Nicaragua.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urtecho
Among Census respondents with the surname Urtecho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Urtecho 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 Urtecho surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 182
- White2.1% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urtecho
Urtecho 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
#109,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
+60 bearers (+58.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 38,986 places
2020
#100,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
+29 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 8,391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #109,258 | 162 | 0.05 | +60 bearers (+58.8%) | Up 38,986 places |
| 2020 | #100,867 | 191 | 0.06 | +29 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 8,391 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 Urtecho 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 | #109,258 | #100,867 | 7.7% |
| Count | 162 | 191 | 17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 27.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urtecho bearers went from 162 to 191 (+17.9% change). The surname moved up 8,391 positions in the national ranking, going from #109,258 to #100,867.
FAQ
Urtecho surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urtecho?
Name Census estimates that about 219 living Americans carry the surname Urtecho. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,565,088 residents.
How common is Urtecho?
Urtecho ranks #100,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 191 people with the surname Urtecho. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Urtecho.
Has Urtecho become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urtecho went from 162 recorded bearers to 191. That is an increase of 29 (+17.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #109,258 to #100,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Urtecho?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urtecho, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Urtecho in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urtecho appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.3%), White (2.1%), Black (1.0%). 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 Urtecho (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 Urtecho mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, possibly related to the word "huerto" (orchard or garden). 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 Urtecho (0.06 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 Urtecho?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.