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

Botelho, 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 Botelho surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Botelho in America

Botelho is the 7084th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Botelho surname appeared 4,726 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Botelho.

We can also compare 2010 data for Botelho 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 Botelho

The surname Botelho is of Portuguese origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Galician-Portuguese word "botella" or "botelo," which means small barrel or cask. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who was involved in the production or transport of barrels, possibly a cooper or a merchant.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Botelho can be found in medieval Portuguese documents, such as land grants and property deeds. One notable mention is in the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese genealogical record, which mentions the Botelho family as a noble lineage.

In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, several individuals with the surname Botelho played significant roles in the Portuguese explorations and colonization efforts. One such figure was Nuno Vaz Pereira Botelho (1459-1522), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral on the voyage that led to the discovery of Brazil in 1500.

Another prominent figure was Tomé Botelho (c. 1480-1540), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who participated in the expeditions to India and Southeast Asia in the early 16th century. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore and chart the coast of present-day Malaysia.

In the 17th century, Matias de Albuquerque Botelho (1597-1647) was a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who served as the Governor of Brazil from 1628 to 1629. He played a crucial role in defending the colony against Dutch attacks during the Iberian Union period.

The name Botelho has also been associated with various place names in Portugal, such as Botelho, a parish in the municipality of Covilhã, and Botelhão, a locality in the municipality of Viana do Castelo. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or from its association with the production or storage of barrels.

Throughout history, the Botelho surname has been carried by numerous notable individuals from various fields, including writers, artists, politicians, and religious figures. Some examples include José Agostinho de Macedo Botelho (1761-1831), a Portuguese poet and philosopher, and Afonso Botelho (1590-1667), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who worked in Brazil and Angola.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Botelho

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

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

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

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