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

Amaral, 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 Amaral surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amaral in America

Amaral is the 3709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amaral surname appeared 9,567 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Amaral.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amaral 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 Amaral

The surname Amaral is of Portuguese origin, deriving from the Portuguese word "amar," meaning "to love," and the suffix "-al," indicating a place name. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century.

Amaral is a topographic surname, referring to a location or geographical feature. It likely originated as a place name for a town or village situated near a field or meadow of yellow flowers, as "amaral" can also mean "a place with yellow flowers" in Portuguese.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Amaral surname can be found in the Livro de Linhagens (Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese manuscript documenting noble families. The Amaral family is mentioned as having connections to the region of Minho in northern Portugal.

In the 15th century, the Amaral name appears in records related to the Portuguese exploration and colonization of the Atlantic islands, such as the Azores and Madeira. Álvaro Gonçalves de Amaral was a prominent figure in the early settlement of the Azores in the mid-15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Portuguese Empire expanded, the Amaral surname spread to various Portuguese colonies, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. In Brazil, where a significant number of Portuguese immigrants settled, the Amaral name became well-established.

Notable individuals with the Amaral surname include:

1. Tarsila do Amaral (1886-1973), a Brazilian painter and a prominent figure in the Brazilian Modernist movement.
2. João de Amaral (fl. 15th century), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who participated in the early Portuguese explorations of the Atlantic Ocean.
3. António Caetano do Amaral (1747-1819), a Portuguese historian and clergyman, known for his works on the history of the Azores islands.
4. Luís do Amaral (1635-1688), a Portuguese Baroque composer and organist active in the late 17th century.
5. Vitor Amaral de Sousa (1880-1932), a Brazilian writer and journalist, known for his novels and short stories depicting life in the Brazilian Northeast.

The Amaral surname has maintained a strong presence in Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-speaking regions, reflecting its deep-rooted history and connection to the Portuguese language and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amaral

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

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 Amaral 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 Amaral 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 Amaral was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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