2000
#5,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Uncommon Last name
Barboza
A Portuguese and Spanish surname referring to someone with a beard or derived from the word "barbosa" meaning "bearded."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,075 Americans carry the last name Barboza. That puts it at #3,923 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barboza 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.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,020
Census rank
#3,923
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,786 bearers of the surname Barboza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3923rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barboza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barboza
The surname Barboza is of Portuguese origin, derived from the medieval personal name Barbo, which itself is a nickname meaning "the bearded one" from the Latin word "barba" meaning beard. The name is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Portugal in the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Barboza can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens, a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century, where it mentions a nobleman named Fernão Barboza who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, the name Barboza spread throughout the Portuguese Empire, with many explorers and colonists bearing this surname. Notably, João Barboza Machado (c. 1480-1554) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1497-1499.
The surname Barboza has also been associated with several notable figures in Portuguese and Brazilian history. Pedro Barboza (1523-1601) was a renowned Portuguese architect who designed several churches and monasteries in Lisbon and Coimbra. In Brazil, Rui Barboza (1849-1923) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Finance and later as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the early 20th century.
Another notable figure is the Brazilian writer João Barboza (1917-1967), known for his novels and short stories that explored the struggles of the working class and the poor in Brazil. His works, such as "Mato Grosso" and "Os Sinos da Agonia," are considered important contributions to Brazilian literature.
In the United States, the surname Barboza has been associated with several influential individuals, including the late American actor Frank Barboza (1932-2008), known for his roles in films such as "The Godfather Part II" and "Escape from Alcatraz." Additionally, the artist João Barboza (1935-2008), born in Portugal and later emigrating to the United States, gained recognition for his abstract paintings and sculptures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barboza
Among Census respondents with the surname Barboza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Barboza 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 Barboza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.3% · 6,442
- White19.0% · 1,666
- Black or African American3.8% · 335
- Two or more races1.9% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barboza
Barboza 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
#4,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,497
+2,126 bearers (+33.4%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Up 883 places
2020
#3,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,786
+289 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Up 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,055 | 6,371 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,172 | 8,497 | 2.88 | +2,126 bearers (+33.4%) | Up 883 places |
| 2020 | #3,923 | 8,786 | 2.94 | +289 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 249 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 Barboza 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 | #4,172 | #3,923 | 6.0% |
| Count | 8,497 | 8,786 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.88 | 2.94 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barboza bearers went from 8,497 to 8,786 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,172 to #3,923.
FAQ
Barboza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barboza?
Name Census estimates that about 10,075 living Americans carry the surname Barboza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,020 residents.
How common is Barboza?
Barboza ranks #3,923 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.94 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 8,786 people with the surname Barboza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,075), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.94 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 Barboza.
Has Barboza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barboza went from 8,497 recorded bearers to 8,786. That is an increase of 289 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,172 to #3,923.
What does the Census say about the background of Barboza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barboza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Barboza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (6,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barboza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.3%), White (19.0%), Black (3.8%). 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 Barboza (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 Barboza mean?
A Portuguese and Spanish surname referring to someone with a beard or derived from the word "barbosa" meaning "bearded." 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 Barboza (2.94 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 common is the surname Barboza?
Want to know how many people have the surname Barboza? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.