Find out how popular the last name Alencastro is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alencastro.

Alencastro, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alencastro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alencastro in America

Alencastro is the 97210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alencastro surname appeared 187 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alencastro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alencastro to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alencastro

The surname ALENCASTRO has its origins in Portugal, emerging during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese phrase "além do castro," which translates to "beyond the castle" or "beyond the fortified town." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon an individual or family who resided outside the boundaries of a fortified settlement.

The earliest known records of the name ALENCASTRO date back to the 14th century, when it appeared in various Portuguese municipal archives and land records. One notable example is the mention of João Alencastro, a landowner in the region of Alentejo, in a 1387 deed of property transfer.

During the Age of Exploration, the ALENCASTRO surname began to spread across the Portuguese empire, as explorers, settlers, and officials carried the name to new territories. In the 16th century, the name appeared in colonial records from Brazil, with the first documented instance being Diogo Alencastro, a sugar plantation owner in Pernambuco, who lived from approximately 1525 to 1590.

The name ALENCASTRO also has a connection to the Portuguese nobility. In the 17th century, a member of the noble Alencastro family, Manuel de Alencastro (1590-1658), served as the Governor of Portuguese India from 1648 to 1651.

As the centuries passed, the ALENCASTRO surname continued to be carried by notable individuals. In the 18th century, José de Alencastro (1720-1789) was a prominent Brazilian architect and urban planner responsible for designing several iconic buildings and public spaces in Salvador, Bahia.

More recently, in the 20th century, Luiz Felipe de Alencastro (born 1946) is a renowned Brazilian historian and academic, known for his research on the Atlantic slave trade and its impact on Brazilian society.

Overall, the surname ALENCASTRO has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating in Portugal and spreading across the Portuguese-speaking world. Its evolution reflects the geographical and social mobility of its bearers, who have left their mark in various fields, from colonial administration and architecture to academia and historical scholarship.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alencastro

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alencastro.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alencastro was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alencastro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alencastro was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alencastro, please contact us.

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