2000
#11,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Branco
A Portuguese and Italian surname derived from the word "branco," meaning "white" or "fair-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,102 Americans carry the last name Branco. That puts it at #11,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Branco 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 Branco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,495
Census rank
#11,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,705 bearers of the surname Branco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Branco, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Branco
Among Census respondents with the surname Branco, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Branco 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 Branco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 2,233
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 224
- Two or more races5.2% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 55
- Black or African American1.7% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Branco
Branco 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
#11,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,797
+161 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#11,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
-92 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,060 | 2,636 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,293 | 2,797 | 0.95 | +161 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #11,183 | 2,705 | 0.90 | -92 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 110 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 Branco 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 | #11,293 | #11,183 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,797 | 2,705 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.90 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Branco bearers went from 2,797 to 2,705 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,293 to #11,183.
FAQ
Branco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Branco?
Name Census estimates that about 3,102 living Americans carry the surname Branco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,495 residents.
How common is Branco?
Branco ranks #11,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,705 people with the surname Branco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Branco.
Has Branco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Branco went from 2,797 recorded bearers to 2,705. That is a decrease of 92 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,293 to #11,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Branco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Branco, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Branco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (2,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Branco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Branco (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 Branco mean?
A Portuguese and Italian surname derived from the word "branco," meaning "white" or "fair-haired." 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 Branco (0.90 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 have the last name Branco?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Branco, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.