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

Filho, 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 Filho surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Filho in America

Filho is the 42308th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Filho surname appeared 513 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Filho.

We can also compare 2010 data for Filho 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 Filho

The surname "FILHO" originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese word "filho," meaning "son." The name was initially used as a patronymic, indicating a person's relation to their father.

In the early days, surnames were not as widespread as they are today. People were often identified by their given name, followed by their father's name or a descriptive term. The use of "FILHO" as a surname emerged when families began adopting hereditary surnames.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "FILHO" can be found in the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a historical Portuguese manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document contains genealogical records of noble families and mentions individuals with the surname "FILHO."

During the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers and navigators embarked on voyages around the world, the surname "FILHO" likely spread to other regions colonized by the Portuguese, such as Brazil and parts of Africa.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname "FILHO" include:

1. João Gonçalves Filho (c. 1480-1550), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who participated in the discovery and colonization of Brazil.
2. Bartolomeu Filho (c. 1530-1602), a Portuguese soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Portuguese India.
3. Diogo Filho de Barros (c. 1570-1632), a Portuguese historian and author of the influential work "Décadas da Ásia" (Decades of Asia).
4. Francisco Rodrigues Filho (c. 1620-1677), a Portuguese architect and engineer known for his contributions to the reconstruction of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake.
5. José Filho da Silva (c. 1750-1820), a Portuguese poet and literary figure during the Age of Enlightenment in Portugal.

While the surname "FILHO" remains prevalent in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking communities worldwide, it has also been adopted by people of various backgrounds and nationalities over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Filho

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

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

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

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