2000
#11,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,448
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Defreitas
Derived from a Portuguese topographic name meaning "from the cold lands."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,017 Americans carry the last name Defreitas. That puts it at #8,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defreitas 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 Defreitas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,326
Census rank
#8,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,503 bearers of the surname Defreitas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defreitas, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Defreitas
The surname DEFREITAS originates from Portugal and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "freitas," which means "fringes" or "borders," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a border or boundary.
The earliest recorded mention of the DEFREITAS surname can be found in Portuguese records from the 1400s. Some historians believe that the name may have been associated with Jewish families who fled from Spain during the Inquisition and settled in Portugal, adopting the surname DEFREITAS as a way to assimilate into Portuguese society.
In the 16th century, the DEFREITAS name appeared in several documents related to the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. One notable individual was Pedro de Freitas, a Portuguese explorer who was part of the expedition led by Martim Afonso de Sousa to establish the first permanent Portuguese settlement in Brazil in 1532.
During the 17th century, the DEFREITAS surname began to spread to other parts of the world as a result of Portuguese exploration and colonization. For instance, João de Freitas was a Portuguese soldier who fought in the Dutch-Portuguese War in Brazil in the 1640s.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the DEFREITAS surname was Joaquim José de Freitas, a Portuguese military engineer who played a significant role in the construction of fortifications in various Portuguese colonies, including Brazil and Mozambique.
Another notable individual was Tomás de Freitas, a Portuguese navigator and cartographer who was involved in mapping the coasts of Brazil and West Africa in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous figures with the DEFREITAS surname was José Joaquim de Freitas, a Portuguese journalist and politician who was instrumental in the establishment of the liberal constitutional monarchy in Portugal.
As the DEFREITAS name spread across the globe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Freitas, DeFreitas, and DeFretas, reflecting the influences of different languages and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defreitas
Among Census respondents with the surname Defreitas, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Defreitas 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 Defreitas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 2,089
- Black or African American20.4% · 714
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 379
- Two or more races6.1% · 213
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defreitas
Defreitas 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
#10,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,957
+509 bearers (+20.8%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 942 places
2020
#8,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,503
+546 bearers (+18.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 1,824 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,729 | 2,448 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,787 | 2,957 | 1.00 | +509 bearers (+20.8%) | Up 942 places |
| 2020 | #8,963 | 3,503 | 1.17 | +546 bearers (+18.5%) | Up 1,824 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 Defreitas 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 | #10,787 | #8,963 | 16.9% |
| Count | 2,957 | 3,503 | 18.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 1.17 | 17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defreitas bearers went from 2,957 to 3,503 (+18.5% change). The surname moved up 1,824 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,787 to #8,963.
FAQ
Defreitas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defreitas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,017 living Americans carry the surname Defreitas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,326 residents.
How common is Defreitas?
Defreitas ranks #8,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,503 people with the surname Defreitas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,017), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Defreitas.
Has Defreitas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defreitas went from 2,957 recorded bearers to 3,503. That is an increase of 546 (+18.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,787 to #8,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Defreitas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defreitas, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Defreitas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (2,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defreitas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Black (20.4%), Hispanic (10.8%). 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 Defreitas (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 Defreitas mean?
Derived from a Portuguese topographic name meaning "from the cold lands." 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 Defreitas (1.17 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 common is the surname Defreitas?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Defreitas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.