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

Brazil, 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 Brazil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brazil in America

Brazil is the 6373rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brazil surname appeared 5,343 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 Brazil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brazil 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 Brazil

The surname Brazil is derived from the name of the country Brazil in South America. The name Brazil itself originated from the Portuguese word for a type of red dye wood called pau-brasil, which was highly valued and exported from the region. The surname likely came into use during the early colonial period, when Portuguese explorers and settlers began arriving in Brazil in the 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brazil can be found in the records of the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who is credited with discovering Brazil in 1500. Cabral's expedition included several individuals with the surname Brazil, suggesting that the name was already in use at that time.

In the 17th century, the surname Brazil appeared in various historical documents related to the colonization of Brazil. For example, the name is mentioned in the writings of the Dutch explorer and colonial governor Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, who ruled over the Dutch colony of Northeastern Brazil from 1637 to 1644.

Notable individuals with the surname Brazil throughout history include:

1. Francisco de Brasil (1624-1688), a Portuguese explorer and cartographer who mapped the interior of Brazil.
2. Tomé de Brasil (1570-1638), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who worked among the indigenous populations of Brazil.
3. João de Brasil (1620-1692), a Portuguese colonial administrator who served as the governor of the captaincy of Rio de Janeiro.
4. Isabel de Brasil (1670-1744), a Brazilian landowner and philanthropist who founded several schools and hospitals in the city of Salvador.
5. Pedro de Brasil (1780-1855), a Brazilian military officer who fought in the Brazilian War of Independence against Portugal.

As the Portuguese colonial presence in Brazil grew, the surname Brazil became more widespread, particularly among families with ties to the lucrative pau-brasil trade or colonial administration. Over time, the name also spread to other parts of the Portuguese Empire and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated from Brazil.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brazil

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

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

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

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