2000
#2,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,891
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.41
Uncommon Last name
Fierro
An Italian occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or ironworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,976 Americans carry the last name Fierro. That puts it at #2,523 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,454 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fierro 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
16K
1 in 21,454
Census rank
#2,523
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,932 bearers of the surname Fierro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2523rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fierro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fierro
The surname Fierro is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "hierro," which means "iron." The name likely originated during the medieval period in Spain, possibly referring to someone who worked with iron or lived near an iron mine or foundry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fierro can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, such as Andalusia and Castile. It is believed that the name may have been associated with the Reconquista, the period of Christian conquest over the Moors, as it could have been given to soldiers or knights who excelled in wielding iron weapons or armor.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Fierro was Pedro Fierro, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. He was born in Medina del Campo, Spain, around 1490 and accompanied Cortés on his expeditions, playing a significant role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Another prominent individual with the surname Fierro was Gaspar Fierro, a Spanish painter active in the 17th century. He was born in Seville around 1595 and is known for his religious paintings, many of which can be found in churches across Andalusia.
In the 18th century, Alejandro Fierro was a Spanish military officer who fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was born in Cádiz in 1680 and played a crucial role in the defense of the city against the British and Dutch forces during the conflict.
Moving to the 19th century, José Fierro was a Mexican politician and military leader who participated in the Mexican-American War. He was born in Guanajuato in 1810 and served as a general in the Mexican army, leading troops against the American invasion in 1846-1848.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, Víctor Fierro was a renowned Colombian writer and poet. He was born in Bogotá in 1890 and is celebrated for his contributions to Colombian literature, particularly his poetry collections and essays that explored themes of national identity and social issues.
While the name Fierro has evolved over time and spread to various parts of the world, its roots can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it was likely associated with the ironworking trade or the military during the Reconquista period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fierro
Among Census respondents with the surname Fierro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fierro 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 Fierro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.3% · 11,601
- White14.9% · 2,069
- Two or more races0.6% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 58
- Black or African American0.4% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fierro
Fierro 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
#2,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,371
+2,480 bearers (+20.9%)
Per 100,000 4.87
Rank movement Up 266 places
2020
#2,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,932
-439 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,785 | 11,891 | 4.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,519 | 14,371 | 4.87 | +2,480 bearers (+20.9%) | Up 266 places |
| 2020 | #2,523 | 13,932 | 4.66 | -439 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 4 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 Fierro 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 | #2,519 | #2,523 | -0.2% |
| Count | 14,371 | 13,932 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.87 | 4.66 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fierro bearers went from 14,371 to 13,932 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,519 to #2,523.
FAQ
Fierro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fierro?
Name Census estimates that about 15,976 living Americans carry the surname Fierro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,454 residents.
How common is Fierro?
Fierro ranks #2,523 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,932 people with the surname Fierro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,976), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Fierro.
Has Fierro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fierro went from 14,371 recorded bearers to 13,932. That is a decrease of 439 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,519 to #2,523.
What does the Census say about the background of Fierro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fierro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Fierro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (11,601 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fierro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.3%), White (14.9%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Fierro (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 Fierro mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or ironworker. 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 Fierro (4.66 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 last name Fierro?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Fierro at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.