2000
#13,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Figueiredo
A Portuguese topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a fig tree or fig orchard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,229 Americans carry the last name Figueiredo. That puts it at #10,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,149 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Figueiredo 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 Figueiredo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,149
Census rank
#10,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,816 bearers of the surname Figueiredo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Figueiredo, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Black (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Figueiredo
The surname Figueiredo originates from Portugal and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "figueira," which means fig tree, and the suffix "-edo," denoting an abundance or location. Thus, Figueiredo likely referred to a place or area where fig trees were abundant.
One of the earliest known references to the name Figueiredo can be found in the medieval Portuguese manuscript "Livro Velho das Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), which dates back to the 13th century. This manuscript contains genealogical records of Portuguese noble families, suggesting that the Figueiredo name was associated with nobility or landed gentry.
In the 14th century, the name Figueiredo appeared in various historical documents, such as land deeds and municipal records, indicating the presence of individuals bearing this surname in different regions of Portugal. For instance, Pedro Figueiredo was a prominent landowner in the Algarve region during this period.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, as Portugal expanded its maritime explorations and established colonies, individuals with the surname Figueiredo played a role in these endeavors. One notable figure was João Figueiredo, a navigator and explorer who participated in the Portuguese conquest of Goa, India, in the early 16th century.
The name Figueiredo also gained prominence in the arts and literature. José de Santa Rita Figueiredo (1707-1775) was a renowned Portuguese playwright and poet, known for his contributions to the development of the Portuguese theatrical tradition.
In the 19th century, Figueiredo was the surname of several influential figures, including Cândido José Xavier Figueiredo (1822-1903), a prominent Portuguese philologist and lexicographer who authored the acclaimed "Diccionario da Lingua Portugueza," considered one of the most comprehensive Portuguese dictionaries of its time.
As the Portuguese diaspora spread across the globe, the surname Figueiredo became more widespread, particularly in former Portuguese colonies such as Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique. Manuel Figueiredo (1870-1938), a Brazilian lawyer and politician, served as the 11th President of Brazil from 1919 to 1922.
Other notable individuals with the surname Figueiredo include Armando Caldeira Figueiredo (1890-1957), a Portuguese military officer and politician who served as the 13th President of Portugal from 1951 to 1958, and João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (1918-1999), a Brazilian military officer and the last President of Brazil during the military regime, serving from 1979 to 1985.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Figueiredo
Among Census respondents with the surname Figueiredo, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Black (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Figueiredo 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 Figueiredo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 2,424
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 208
- Black or African American2.3% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 59
- Two or more races2.1% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Figueiredo
Figueiredo 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
#12,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,439
+340 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 649 places
2020
#10,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,816
+377 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 1,857 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,319 | 2,099 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,670 | 2,439 | 0.83 | +340 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 649 places |
| 2020 | #10,813 | 2,816 | 0.94 | +377 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 1,857 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 Figueiredo 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 | #12,670 | #10,813 | 14.7% |
| Count | 2,439 | 2,816 | 15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.94 | 13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Figueiredo bearers went from 2,439 to 2,816 (+15.5% change). The surname moved up 1,857 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,670 to #10,813.
FAQ
Figueiredo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Figueiredo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,229 living Americans carry the surname Figueiredo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,149 residents.
How common is Figueiredo?
Figueiredo ranks #10,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,816 people with the surname Figueiredo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Figueiredo.
Has Figueiredo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Figueiredo went from 2,439 recorded bearers to 2,816. That is an increase of 377 (+15.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,670 to #10,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Figueiredo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Figueiredo, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Black (2.3%). 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 Figueiredo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (2,424 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Figueiredo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (7.4%), Black (2.3%). 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 Figueiredo (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 Figueiredo mean?
A Portuguese topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a fig tree or fig orchard. 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 Figueiredo (0.94 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 Figueiredo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Figueiredo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.