2000
#8,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Barroso
A habitational surname denoting someone from any of various places named Barroso, derived from the Portuguese word for "clayey."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,931 Americans carry the last name Barroso. That puts it at #6,319 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barroso 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 Barroso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,790
Census rank
#6,319
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,172 bearers of the surname Barroso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6319th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barroso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.4%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barroso
The surname Barroso originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese word 'barroso', meaning 'muddy' or 'marshy', indicating that the name may have been given to someone who lived in or came from a muddy or marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Barroso can be found in the 13th century, in the Inquirições Gerais, a comprehensive survey of properties and landholdings conducted during the reign of King Afonso III of Portugal (1210-1279).
The Barroso region in northern Portugal, known for its rugged terrain and picturesque villages, is believed to be the ancestral homeland of many families bearing this surname. The name may have originated from this geographical location, with families adopting the name based on their place of residence or origin.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, several Portuguese explorers and navigators with the surname Barroso played significant roles in the expansion of the Portuguese Empire. One notable figure was João Barroso (c. 1455-1512), a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1497-1499.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Pedro Barroso de Rezende (c. 1520-1592), a Portuguese historian and chronicler who served as the official chronicler of the Portuguese court during the reigns of King João III and King Sebastian I.
In the 18th century, José Barroso y Pereira (1719-1787), a Spanish naval officer and explorer, made significant contributions to the exploration of the Pacific Ocean and the mapping of the western coast of North America.
Fast-forwarding to the 20th century, José Manuel Barroso (born 1956) is a notable figure with this surname. He served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 2002 to 2004 and later became the President of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014.
Throughout history, the surname Barroso has been associated with various professions, including writers, politicians, artists, and military figures, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barroso
Among Census respondents with the surname Barroso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.4%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Barroso 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 Barroso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.4% · 4,211
- White15.7% · 810
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 91
- Two or more races0.6% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barroso
Barroso 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
#6,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,333
+1,705 bearers (+47.0%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Up 1,996 places
2020
#6,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,172
-161 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,377 | 3,628 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,381 | 5,333 | 1.81 | +1,705 bearers (+47.0%) | Up 1,996 places |
| 2020 | #6,319 | 5,172 | 1.73 | -161 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 62 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 Barroso 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 | #6,381 | #6,319 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,333 | 5,172 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.73 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barroso bearers went from 5,333 to 5,172 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,381 to #6,319.
FAQ
Barroso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barroso?
Name Census estimates that about 5,931 living Americans carry the surname Barroso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,790 residents.
How common is Barroso?
Barroso ranks #6,319 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,172 people with the surname Barroso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Barroso.
Has Barroso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barroso went from 5,333 recorded bearers to 5,172. That is a decrease of 161 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,381 to #6,319.
What does the Census say about the background of Barroso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barroso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.4%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Barroso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (4,211 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barroso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.4%), White (15.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Barroso (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 Barroso mean?
A habitational surname denoting someone from any of various places named Barroso, derived from the Portuguese word for "clayey." 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 Barroso (1.73 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 people share the surname Barroso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.