2000
#1,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.90
Uncommon Last name
Portillo
A Spanish locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Portillo, meaning "small port."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,449 Americans carry the last name Portillo. That puts it at #835 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Portillo 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
46K
1 in 7,379
Census rank
#835
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,506 bearers of the surname Portillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 835th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Portillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Portillo
The surname Portillo is of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word "portilla," which means "small door" or "gate." It is believed to have first emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, in the regions of Castile and Aragon in Spain.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Portillo can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías," a 14th-century manuscript that documented landowners and their properties in various regions of Spain. This document mentions individuals with the surname Portillo, indicating that the name was already established by that time.
The name Portillo is often associated with place names, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the locations where they resided or originated from. Some examples of place names that may have contributed to the emergence of the surname include Portillo, a municipality in the province of Valladolid, and Portillo de Soria, a town in the province of Soria, both located in Spain.
One notable individual bearing the surname Portillo was Gonzalo de Portillo, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the 16th century, serving under Pedro de Alvarado. Gonzalo de Portillo was born around 1500 and played a significant role in the subjugation of the indigenous populations in the region.
Another prominent figure with the surname Portillo was Juan Bautista Portillo, a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1610 and traveled to South America, where he worked as a missionary among the indigenous communities in present-day Bolivia and Peru.
In the 18th century, Andrés Portillo y Galindo, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator, served as the governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1768 to 1770. He was born in 1715 and played a crucial role in the administration of the Spanish colonies in Central America.
During the 19th century, José María Portillo y Gálvez, a Guatemalan politician and diplomat, held various important positions, including serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and as the Guatemalan ambassador to the United States. He was born in 1816 and played a significant role in the political and diplomatic affairs of Guatemala during his lifetime.
In more recent history, Álvaro Portillo y Diez de Sollano, a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, served as the second Prelate of Opus Dei from 1975 to 1994. He was born in 1914 and was known for his efforts in promoting the teachings and principles of Opus Dei, a Catholic institution founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Portillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Portillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Portillo 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 Portillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 38,353
- White3.9% · 1,573
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 215
- Black or African American0.4% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 97
- Two or more races0.2% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Portillo
Portillo 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
#914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,890
+13,882 bearers (+57.8%)
Per 100,000 12.84
Rank movement Up 439 places
2020
#835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,506
+2,616 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 13.55
Rank movement Up 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,353 | 24,008 | 8.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #914 | 37,890 | 12.84 | +13,882 bearers (+57.8%) | Up 439 places |
| 2020 | #835 | 40,506 | 13.55 | +2,616 bearers (+6.9%) | Up 79 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 Portillo 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 | #914 | #835 | 8.6% |
| Count | 37,890 | 40,506 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 12.84 | 13.55 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Portillo bearers went from 37,890 to 40,506 (+6.9% change). The surname moved up 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #914 to #835.
FAQ
Portillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Portillo?
Name Census estimates that about 46,449 living Americans carry the surname Portillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,379 residents.
How common is Portillo?
Portillo ranks #835 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,506 people with the surname Portillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Portillo.
Has Portillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Portillo went from 37,890 recorded bearers to 40,506. That is an increase of 2,616 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #914 to #835.
What does the Census say about the background of Portillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Portillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Portillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (38,353 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Portillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.7%), White (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Portillo (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 Portillo mean?
A Spanish locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Portillo, meaning "small port." 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 Portillo (13.55 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 Portillo?
Find out how common the surname Portillo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.