2000
#19,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Antunes
A Portuguese surname derived from the personal name Antão meaning "praiseworthy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,430 Americans carry the last name Antunes. That puts it at #13,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Antunes 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 Antunes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,051
Census rank
#13,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,119 bearers of the surname Antunes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Antunes, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.3%) and Black (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Antunes
The surname Antunes has its origins in Portugal, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Antonius, which means "priceless" or "invaluable." The name was popularized by Saint Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan friar born in Lisbon in 1195.
The Antunes surname is believed to have first appeared in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga. It was often spelled as "Antunes" or "Antunez" in earlier records, reflecting the linguistic influences of the time.
One of the earliest known references to the Antunes surname can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname, including Gomes Antunes, a nobleman from the region of Minho.
In the 14th century, the Antunes surname gained prominence in Portugal with the rise of João Antunes, a influential merchant and diplomat who served under King Afonso IV. João Antunes played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements with England and other European nations.
During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, several Portuguese explorers and navigators bore the Antunes surname. One notable figure was Pedro Antunes, a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
In the literary realm, one of the most celebrated figures with the Antunes surname was Antônio Ferreira Antunes, a 16th-century Portuguese poet and playwright known for his contributions to the Renaissance literature movement in Portugal. He was born in 1528 and died in 1595.
Another notable individual was João Antunes de Almada, a 17th-century Portuguese architect and military engineer who was responsible for designing several fortifications and buildings in Brazil, including the historic city of Salvador.
In the 19th century, José Antunes Mialheiro, a renowned Portuguese writer and journalist, made significant contributions to the country's literary landscape. He was born in 1818 and died in 1881.
Throughout its history, the Antunes surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, politicians, and military leaders, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Portugal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Antunes
Among Census respondents with the surname Antunes, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.3%) and Black (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Antunes 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 Antunes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.9% · 1,418
- Hispanic or Latino19.3% · 408
- Black or African American10.2% · 216
- Two or more races2.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Antunes
Antunes 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
#16,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
+448 bearers (+33.9%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 2,753 places
2020
#13,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,119
+349 bearers (+19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 2,604 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,048 | 1,322 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,295 | 1,770 | 0.60 | +448 bearers (+33.9%) | Up 2,753 places |
| 2020 | #13,691 | 2,119 | 0.71 | +349 bearers (+19.7%) | Up 2,604 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 Antunes 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 | #16,295 | #13,691 | 16.0% |
| Count | 1,770 | 2,119 | 19.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.71 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Antunes bearers went from 1,770 to 2,119 (+19.7% change). The surname moved up 2,604 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,295 to #13,691.
FAQ
Antunes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Antunes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,430 living Americans carry the surname Antunes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,051 residents.
How common is Antunes?
Antunes ranks #13,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,119 people with the surname Antunes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Antunes.
Has Antunes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Antunes went from 1,770 recorded bearers to 2,119. That is an increase of 349 (+19.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,295 to #13,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Antunes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Antunes, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.3%) and Black (10.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Antunes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.9% (1,418 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Antunes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.9%), Hispanic (19.3%), Black (10.2%). 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 Antunes (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 Antunes mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the personal name Antão meaning "praiseworthy." 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 Antunes (0.71 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 Antunes?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.