2000
#2,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,471
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Zambrano
A Spanish surname referring to a person from Zamora, a city in northwestern Spain, or from Zamora, Ecuador.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,310 Americans carry the last name Zambrano. That puts it at #1,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,876 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zambrano 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
20K
1 in 16,876
Census rank
#1,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,711 bearers of the surname Zambrano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zambrano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zambrano
The surname Zambrano originated in Spain, and its roots can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the word "zamarra," which means a sheepskin garment or coat in Spanish. Historically, surnames often originated from occupations, physical characteristics, or places of residence.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Zambrano can be found in the Cartulario de Arras, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions a person named "Pedro Zambrano," who lived in the region of Aragon, Spain.
During the Middle Ages, the name Zambrano was associated with various noble families in Spain. One notable figure was Alonso Zambrano, a 15th-century Spanish knight who participated in the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest over the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula.
In the 16th century, the surname Zambrano gained prominence in the Americas, particularly in regions colonized by the Spanish Empire. One significant individual was Diego Zambrano, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
Another notable figure was Juan Zambrano, a 17th-century Spanish composer and organist who served in the royal court of King Philip IV. His compositions, which included sacred and secular works, were highly regarded during his time.
The name Zambrano has also been associated with literary figures, such as María Zambrano, a Spanish philosopher and essayist born in 1904. She was a prominent figure in the Generation of '36, a group of intellectuals and writers who emerged during the Spanish Civil War.
In the realm of art, one cannot overlook Gregorio Zambrano, a Venezuelan sculptor born in 1942. His abstract and geometric works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world, earning him international acclaim.
Another notable individual with the surname Zambrano was José Zambrano Valdivia, a Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Peru from 1844 to 1851. He played a significant role in the country's political landscape during a turbulent period in its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zambrano
Among Census respondents with the surname Zambrano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Zambrano 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 Zambrano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.8% · 16,265
- White6.2% · 1,106
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 206
- Two or more races0.3% · 61
- Black or African American0.3% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zambrano
Zambrano 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
#2,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,092
+4,621 bearers (+37.1%)
Per 100,000 5.79
Rank movement Up 544 places
2020
#1,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,711
+619 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Up 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,661 | 12,471 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,117 | 17,092 | 5.79 | +4,621 bearers (+37.1%) | Up 544 places |
| 2020 | #1,988 | 17,711 | 5.93 | +619 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 129 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 Zambrano 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 | #2,117 | #1,988 | 6.1% |
| Count | 17,092 | 17,711 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.79 | 5.93 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zambrano bearers went from 17,092 to 17,711 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,117 to #1,988.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zambrano
FAQ
Zambrano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zambrano?
Name Census estimates that about 20,310 living Americans carry the surname Zambrano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,876 residents.
How common is Zambrano?
Zambrano ranks #1,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,711 people with the surname Zambrano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Zambrano.
Has Zambrano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zambrano went from 17,092 recorded bearers to 17,711. That is an increase of 619 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,117 to #1,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Zambrano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zambrano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Zambrano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (16,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zambrano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.8%), White (6.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Zambrano (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 Zambrano mean?
A Spanish surname referring to a person from Zamora, a city in northwestern Spain, or from Zamora, Ecuador. 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 Zambrano (5.93 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 have the surname Zambrano?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.