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

Coelho, 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 Coelho surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coelho in America

Coelho is the 6124th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coelho surname appeared 5,593 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 Coelho.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coelho 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 Coelho

The surname "COELHO" is of Portuguese origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese word "coelho," which means "rabbit" or "hare." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname, possibly referring to someone who had a resemblance to a rabbit or worked with rabbits.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval Portuguese records and documents, such as parish registers and census rolls. One notable example is João Coelho, a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1498.

During the Age of Discovery, many Portuguese explorers, settlers, and traders carried the Coelho surname to various parts of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. As a result, the name can be found in historical records and archives from these regions.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Coelho surname was Gaspar Coelho, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe. Coelho was born around 1480 and played a crucial role in the expedition, taking command after Magellan's death in 1521.

Another prominent individual with the Coelho surname was Gonçalo Coelho, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He served as the first captain-general of Portuguese India and played a significant role in establishing Portuguese settlements in the Indian subcontinent.

In the 19th century, José Francisco Coelho was a renowned Brazilian poet and writer. Born in 1809, he is considered one of the most important figures of the Romantic movement in Brazilian literature.

The Coelho surname is also associated with several place names in Portugal, such as Coelheiros, a parish in the municipality of Castelo Branco, and Coelho Vaz, a village in the municipality of Tondela. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Coelho surname who settled or lived in those areas.

Throughout history, the Coelho surname has been found in various spellings, including Coelho, Coelhu, Cuelhu, and Cuelho, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coelho

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

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

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

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