2000
#7,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Botelho
A Portuguese surname derived from the word "botelho," meaning a type of sausage or a sausage maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,291 Americans carry the last name Botelho. That puts it at #7,019 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Botelho 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 Botelho with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,781
Census rank
#7,019
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,614 bearers of the surname Botelho in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7019th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Botelho, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Botelho
Among Census respondents with the surname Botelho, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Botelho 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 Botelho surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 3,936
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 263
- Two or more races5.0% · 233
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 123
- Black or African American0.9% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Botelho
Botelho 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
#7,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,726
+363 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#7,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,614
-112 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,068 | 4,363 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,084 | 4,726 | 1.60 | +363 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #7,019 | 4,614 | 1.54 | -112 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 65 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 Botelho 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 | #7,084 | #7,019 | 0.9% |
| Count | 4,726 | 4,614 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.54 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Botelho bearers went from 4,726 to 4,614 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,084 to #7,019.
FAQ
Botelho surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Botelho?
Name Census estimates that about 5,291 living Americans carry the surname Botelho. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,781 residents.
How common is Botelho?
Botelho ranks #7,019 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 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 4,614 people with the surname Botelho. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 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 Botelho.
Has Botelho become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Botelho went from 4,726 recorded bearers to 4,614. That is a decrease of 112 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,084 to #7,019.
What does the Census say about the background of Botelho?
Among Census respondents with the surname Botelho, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Botelho in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (3,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Botelho appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Botelho (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 Botelho mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the word "botelho," meaning a type of sausage or a sausage maker. 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 Botelho (1.54 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 are called Botelho?
Find out how common the surname Botelho is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.