2000
#2,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.82
Uncommon Last name
Abreu
A Portuguese and Galician surname indicating a person who lived near a plot of land overgrown with heather.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,118 Americans carry the last name Abreu. That puts it at #1,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abreu 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 Abreu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,212
Census rank
#1,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,032 bearers of the surname Abreu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abreu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abreu
The surname Abreu originated in Portugal and is of patronymic origin, derived from the personal name Abrão, which was a Portuguese form of the Hebrew name Abraham. The earliest known bearers of this surname lived in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Abreu can be found in the medieval Portuguese manuscript "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), which dates back to the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Abreu, suggesting that the name was already well-established in Portugal by that time.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Exploration, several individuals with the surname Abreu played significant roles in the Portuguese maritime expeditions. One notable figure was João de Abreu, a navigator and explorer who participated in the expeditions to India and the East African coast in the early 16th century.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Pedro de Abreu, a Portuguese conquistador who was involved in the conquest of Brazil in the 16th century. He is credited with founding the city of Santos in 1546, which later became an important port city in the state of São Paulo.
In the 17th century, Manuel de Abreu Sousa was a renowned Portuguese jurist and author. He wrote several legal treatises and served as a judge in the Portuguese courts during the reign of King John IV.
During the 18th century, José Antonio de Abreu was a renowned Brazilian architect and engineer. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in the city of Rio de Janeiro, including the iconic Carioca Aqueduct.
In the 19th century, Joaquim Aurélio Barreto Nabuco de Abreu, commonly known as Joaquim Nabuco, was a prominent Brazilian diplomat, historian, and abolitionist. He played a crucial role in the movement to abolish slavery in Brazil and served as the country's ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom.
The surname Abreu has also been associated with various place names throughout Portugal and its former colonies. For example, the town of Abreu in the district of Vila Real, Portugal, and the municipality of Abreu e Lima in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, both derive their names from individuals with the surname Abreu.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abreu
Among Census respondents with the surname Abreu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Abreu 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 Abreu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.1% · 17,682
- White12.7% · 2,663
- Black or African American1.2% · 250
- Two or more races1.1% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abreu
Abreu 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
#2,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,998
+4,986 bearers (+38.3%)
Per 100,000 6.10
Rank movement Up 545 places
2020
#1,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,032
+3,034 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 7.04
Rank movement Up 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,553 | 13,012 | 4.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,008 | 17,998 | 6.10 | +4,986 bearers (+38.3%) | Up 545 places |
| 2020 | #1,674 | 21,032 | 7.04 | +3,034 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 334 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 Abreu 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 | #2,008 | #1,674 | 16.6% |
| Count | 17,998 | 21,032 | 16.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.10 | 7.04 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abreu bearers went from 17,998 to 21,032 (+16.9% change). The surname moved up 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,008 to #1,674.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Abreu
FAQ
Abreu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abreu?
Name Census estimates that about 24,118 living Americans carry the surname Abreu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,212 residents.
How common is Abreu?
Abreu ranks #1,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,032 people with the surname Abreu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Abreu.
Has Abreu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abreu went from 17,998 recorded bearers to 21,032. That is an increase of 3,034 (+16.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,008 to #1,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Abreu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abreu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Abreu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (17,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abreu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.1%), White (12.7%), Black (1.2%). 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 Abreu (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 Abreu mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname indicating a person who lived near a plot of land overgrown with heather. 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 Abreu (7.04 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 Abreu?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Abreu on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.