2000
#10,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Carreiro
A Portuguese occupational surname denoting a wagon driver or cart maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,046 Americans carry the last name Carreiro. That puts it at #11,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carreiro 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 112,526
Census rank
#11,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,656 bearers of the surname Carreiro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carreiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carreiro
The surname Carreiro is of Portuguese origin, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the word "carreiro," which means a small road or path in Portuguese. The name likely originated from a person who lived near or maintained such a path.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Carreiro can be found in the historical records of the town of Guimarães, located in northern Portugal. In a document dated 1487, a man named João Carreiro is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
During the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers and settlers ventured to various parts of the world, the name Carreiro was carried to different continents. In the 16th century, a man named Diogo Carreiro was among the early Portuguese settlers in Brazil, establishing a family line in the colony.
In the 18th century, the name Carreiro appeared in various manuscripts and records from the Azores Islands, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. One notable individual was Manuel Carreiro, born in 1732 on the island of Faial, who served as a captain in the Portuguese navy.
Another significant figure bearing the Carreiro surname was José Carreiro, born in 1820 in the town of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. He was a prominent lawyer and politician who played a role in the establishment of the Portuguese Republic in the early 20th century.
The name Carreiro has also been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Carreiro da Fonte in northern Portugal, which likely took its name from the surname or the small paths that once traversed the area.
Other notable individuals with the Carreiro surname include:
1. António Carreiro (1655-1715), a Portuguese painter known for his religious artwork.
2. Mariana Carreiro (1802-1874), a Portuguese writer and educator from the Azores Islands.
3. Luís Carreiro (1871-1942), a Portuguese architect and urban planner who designed several buildings in Lisbon.
4. Maria Carreiro (1905-1987), a Brazilian actress and theater director.
5. João Carreiro (1924-2003), a Portuguese sculptor and artist known for his works in public spaces.
While the surname Carreiro has spread across different regions and continents, its origins can be traced back to the small paths and roads of Portugal, where it first emerged as a distinct family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carreiro
Among Census respondents with the surname Carreiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Carreiro 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 Carreiro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,395
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 135
- Two or more races2.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 30
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carreiro
Carreiro 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
#10,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,070
+136 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 357 places
2020
#11,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,656
-414 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 886 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,111 | 2,934 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,468 | 3,070 | 1.04 | +136 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 357 places |
| 2020 | #11,354 | 2,656 | 0.89 | -414 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 886 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 Carreiro 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 | #10,468 | #11,354 | -8.5% |
| Count | 3,070 | 2,656 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.89 | -14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carreiro bearers went from 3,070 to 2,656 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 886 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,468 to #11,354.
FAQ
Carreiro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carreiro?
Name Census estimates that about 3,046 living Americans carry the surname Carreiro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,526 residents.
How common is Carreiro?
Carreiro ranks #11,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,656 people with the surname Carreiro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Carreiro.
Has Carreiro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carreiro went from 3,070 recorded bearers to 2,656. That is a decrease of 414 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,468 to #11,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Carreiro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carreiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Carreiro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carreiro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Carreiro (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 Carreiro mean?
A Portuguese occupational surname denoting a wagon driver or cart 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 Carreiro (0.89 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 Carreiro?
You can see how common the surname Carreiro is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.