2000
#299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 92,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 34.35
Common Last name
Contreras
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked near a crossroads or intersection.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143,795 Americans carry the last name Contreras. That puts it at #239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 41.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,384 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Contreras 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Contreras with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
144K
1 in 2,384
Census rank
#239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
42.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125,396 bearers of the surname Contreras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 41.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Contreras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Contreras
The surname Contreras originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "contrera," which means "an encounter" or "a confrontation." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place where a significant historical event or battle occurred.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Contreras can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the conquistadors who participated in the conquest of Seville in 1248. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 15th century, the Contreras family played a significant role in the conquest of the Canary Islands. Juan de Contreras, born around 1430, was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. He is known for his role in the Battle of Acentejo in 1494, where he fought against the indigenous Guanches.
Another notable figure with the surname Contreras is Hernando de Contreras, a Spanish conquistador who was born in Segovia in the late 15th century. He accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico and participated in the siege of Tenochtitlan in 1521.
In the 16th century, Francisco de Contreras was a Spanish military officer and explorer who served as the governor of Chile from 1629 to 1630. He was born in Segovia around 1585 and played a crucial role in the Spanish colonization of South America.
During the 17th century, Juan Contreras y Ayala, born around 1610 in Spain, was a renowned poet and playwright. He is best known for his works "El Caballero de Olmedo" and "La Mejor Espigadera."
The surname Contreras has been found in various historical records, including the Libro de Repartimiento de Jerez de la Frontera from the 13th century, where it appears as "Contreras." This suggests that the name has maintained its original spelling throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Contreras
Among Census respondents with the surname Contreras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Contreras 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 Contreras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.8% · 117,619
- White4.6% · 5,775
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 893
- Black or African American0.3% · 421
- Two or more races0.3% · 359
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 329
Timeline
Historical Census data for Contreras
Contreras 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
#229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130,164
+37,504 bearers (+40.5%)
Per 100,000 44.13
Rank movement Up 70 places
2020
#239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125,396
-4,768 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 41.95
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #299 | 92,660 | 34.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #229 | 130,164 | 44.13 | +37,504 bearers (+40.5%) | Up 70 places |
| 2020 | #239 | 125,396 | 41.95 | -4,768 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 10 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 Contreras 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 | #229 | #239 | -4.4% |
| Count | 130,164 | 125,396 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 44.13 | 41.95 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Contreras bearers went from 130,164 to 125,396 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #229 to #239.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Contreras
FAQ
Contreras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Contreras?
Name Census estimates that about 143,795 living Americans carry the surname Contreras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,384 residents.
How common is Contreras?
Contreras ranks #239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 41.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 42 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 125,396 people with the surname Contreras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143,795), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 41.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 41.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 42 of them to have the surname Contreras.
Has Contreras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Contreras went from 130,164 recorded bearers to 125,396. That is a decrease of 4,768 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #229 to #239.
What does the Census say about the background of Contreras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Contreras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Contreras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (117,619 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Contreras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.8%), White (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Contreras (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 Contreras mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked near a crossroads or intersection. 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 Contreras (41.95 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 Contreras?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Contreras, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.