Explore the Family Name Primero

The meaning of Primero

Spanish: nickname from primero ‘first’, probably applied to the first-born child. This surname is most common in Mexico and the Philippines.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Primero in the United States?

According to data drawn from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Primero surged in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 52,403rd most popular surname, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 35,721st spot, marking a significant increase of 31.83%. The number of individuals bearing the surname also grew substantially during this period, from 372 people in 2000 to 629 in 2010, an increase of 69.09%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Primero per 100,000 population rose by 50%, from 0.14 to 0.21.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#52,403	#35,721	31.83%
Count	372	629	69.09%
Proportion per 100k	0.14	0.21	50%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Primero

When it comes to the ethnic identity tied to the surname Primero, the Decennial U.S. Census data again offers intriguing insights. Of those bearing the surname, a significant majority identified as Hispanic in both 2000 and 2010, with the percentage rising slightly from 70.97% to 76.79% over the decade. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander fell from 22.04% to 18.12%, and White representation also dipped from 5.91% to 3.34%. Interestingly, the 2010 census saw the emergence of a small proportion (1.43%) of individuals with the surname Primero identifying with two or more races. The percentages for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at zero throughout this period.

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	70.97%	76.79%	8.2%
Asian/Pacific Islander	22.04%	18.12%	-17.79%
White	5.91%	3.34%	-43.49%
Two or More Races	0%	1.43%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%