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

Branco, 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 Branco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Branco in America

Branco is the 11293rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Branco surname appeared 2,797 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Branco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Branco 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 Branco

The surname BRANCO is of Portuguese origin, derived from the Portuguese word "branco," meaning "white" or "fair-skinned." Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was likely used as a descriptive surname to distinguish individuals with fair complexions or light hair.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BRANCO surname appears in a 14th-century document from the Algarve region of southern Portugal. This document mentions a landowner named Afonso Branco, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.

During the Age of Discovery, the BRANCO surname likely spread beyond Portugal's borders as Portuguese explorers, navigators, and settlers ventured to other parts of the world. Notable individuals with this surname include Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467-1520), the Portuguese navigator credited with the official discovery of Brazil in 1500, and Francisco Branco (c. 1564-1624), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and explorer who played a significant role in the early evangelization efforts in Japan.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the BRANCO surname was also found in Spain, where it was sometimes spelled as "Blanco." One prominent figure with this variant spelling was Ramón Blanco y Erenas (1833-1906), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the last Captain-General of the Philippines and the second-to-last Governor-General of Cuba.

As the Portuguese Empire expanded, the BRANCO surname spread to various colonies and territories, including Brazil, where it remains a common surname to this day. One notable Brazilian with this surname was Barão de Rio Branco (1845-1912), a diplomat and statesman who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and played a crucial role in resolving territorial disputes with neighboring countries.

Another prominent individual with the BRANCO surname was José Leandro Branco (1760-1849), a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Portuguese Timor from 1809 to 1811.

Throughout its history, the BRANCO surname has been associated with various professions, including landowners, explorers, missionaries, military officers, and diplomats. While its origins can be traced back to Portugal, the name has since become widespread across multiple countries and cultures, reflecting the global reach of the Portuguese Empire and diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Branco

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

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

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

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