2000
#3,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,510
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.15
Uncommon Last name
Amaral
A Portuguese habitational surname indicating an origin near a marsh or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,427 Americans carry the last name Amaral. That puts it at #3,806 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amaral 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 Amaral with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,872
Census rank
#3,806
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,093 bearers of the surname Amaral in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3806th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amaral, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amaral
Among Census respondents with the surname Amaral, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Amaral 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 Amaral surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 6,984
- Hispanic or Latino17.3% · 1,574
- Two or more races3.0% · 276
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 171
- Black or African American0.7% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amaral
Amaral 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
#3,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,567
+1,057 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 3.24
Rank movement Up 124 places
2020
#3,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,093
-474 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,833 | 8,510 | 3.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,709 | 9,567 | 3.24 | +1,057 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 124 places |
| 2020 | #3,806 | 9,093 | 3.04 | -474 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 97 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 Amaral 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 | #3,709 | #3,806 | -2.6% |
| Count | 9,567 | 9,093 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.24 | 3.04 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amaral bearers went from 9,567 to 9,093 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,709 to #3,806.
FAQ
Amaral surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amaral?
Name Census estimates that about 10,427 living Americans carry the surname Amaral. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,872 residents.
How common is Amaral?
Amaral ranks #3,806 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,093 people with the surname Amaral. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Amaral.
Has Amaral become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amaral went from 9,567 recorded bearers to 9,093. That is a decrease of 474 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,709 to #3,806.
What does the Census say about the background of Amaral?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amaral, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Amaral in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (6,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amaral appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Hispanic (17.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Amaral (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 Amaral mean?
A Portuguese habitational surname indicating an origin near a marsh or bog. 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 Amaral (3.04 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 Americans have the surname Amaral?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.