Amado
Masculine Spanish name meaning "beloved" or "loved one".
Name Census estimates that about 3,589 living Americans carry the first name Amado. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Amado today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Amado births was 2023 (173 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Amado. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
3.6K
~ 1 in 95,501 Americans
Peak year
2023
173 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,245
Tracked since 1883
Popularity
Amado: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Amado from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 693 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Amado by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Amado during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Amados live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Amado, while Ohio, Michigan, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 226 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Amado
The name Amado has its origins in the Portuguese and Spanish languages, deriving from the Latin word "amatus," which means "loved" or "beloved." It emerged during the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula, where it gained popularity as a given name.
Amado's linguistic roots can be traced back to the 11th century, when the name first appeared in historical records across the regions that makeup modern-day Portugal and Spain. It was initially used as a descriptive term, expressing affection or endearment for an individual.
In the literary world, one of the earliest known references to the name Amado can be found in the 13th-century Portuguese epic poem "Cantigas de Santa Maria," composed by King Alfonso X of Castile and León. This collection of religious songs features numerous characters bearing the name Amado.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Amado. One such individual was Amado Nervo (1870-1919), a celebrated Mexican poet, essayist, and diplomat who played a significant role in the Spanish American literary renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another prominent figure bearing this name was Amado Carrillo Fuentes (1956-1997), a notorious Mexican drug lord and leader of the Juárez Cartel, who gained infamy for his vast drug trafficking operations and evasion of law enforcement authorities.
In the realm of music, Amado Batista (1942-2022) was a renowned Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for his contributions to the samba and pagode genres. His music gained immense popularity across Brazil and Latin America.
The name Amado has also been associated with religious figures, such as Amado Ronconi (1226-1292), an Italian Franciscan friar who was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in recognition of his pious life and devotion to charitable works.
Another notable bearer of the name was Amado Granell (1898-1972), a Spanish philosopher and writer who played a significant role in the development of existentialism and phenomenology in Spain during the 20th century.
While the name Amado has maintained its presence throughout history, its usage and popularity have varied across different regions and cultures. However, its underlying meaning of "beloved" has remained constant, reflecting the affection and esteem bestowed upon those who bear this name.
People
Amado + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Amado as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Amado: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Amado?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,589 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Amado going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 95,501 US residents.
Is Amado a common name?
We classify Amado as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,593 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Amado most popular?
The single biggest year for Amado was 2023, when 173 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Amado is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Amado a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Amado in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.