2000
#9,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Fragoso
A toponymic surname indicating someone from a bushy or leafy place, derived from the Portuguese word "fragoso" meaning "bushy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,518 Americans carry the last name Fragoso. That puts it at #8,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,864 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fragoso 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
4.5K
1 in 75,864
Census rank
#8,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,940 bearers of the surname Fragoso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fragoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fragoso
The surname Fragoso originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "fragosus," meaning rocky or rough. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a rocky or mountainous region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fragoso surname appears in the Portuguese royal archives from the 14th century. These documents mention a nobleman named João Fragoso, who served as a military commander under King Afonso IV (1325-1357).
In the 15th century, the Fragoso name gained prominence with the explorer and navigator Tomé Fragoso, who accompanied the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1497-1499. Tomé Fragoso played a crucial role in navigating the treacherous waters around the Cape of Good Hope.
The Fragoso surname is also associated with the town of Fragoso, located in the northern region of Portugal. It is believed that some families may have adopted the name due to their association with this particular location.
Another notable figure bearing the Fragoso surname was Father Manuel Fragoso (1592-1663), a prominent Jesuit scholar and theologian from Portugal. He authored several influential works on moral theology and was widely respected in his time.
In the 18th century, José Fragoso (1720-1807) was a renowned Portuguese architect who designed several prominent buildings, including the Palácio de Queluz, a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.
Additionally, the Fragoso surname has been associated with various noble families in Portugal throughout history. For instance, the Fragoso de Almeida family, which traced its roots back to the 16th century, held significant landholdings and influence in the region of Alentejo.
While the Fragoso surname is most commonly found in Portugal and Brazil, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, the name's origins and earliest recorded instances can be firmly traced back to medieval Portugal and its association with rocky or mountainous regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fragoso
Among Census respondents with the surname Fragoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fragoso 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 Fragoso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.2% · 3,434
- White11.0% · 435
- Black or African American1.0% · 38
- Two or more races0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fragoso
Fragoso 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
#7,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,267
+1,170 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
2020
#8,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,940
-327 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,630 | 3,097 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,778 | 4,267 | 1.45 | +1,170 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 1,852 places |
| 2020 | #8,062 | 3,940 | 1.32 | -327 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 284 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 Fragoso 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 | #7,778 | #8,062 | -3.7% |
| Count | 4,267 | 3,940 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.32 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fragoso bearers went from 4,267 to 3,940 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 284 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,778 to #8,062.
FAQ
Fragoso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fragoso?
Name Census estimates that about 4,518 living Americans carry the surname Fragoso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,864 residents.
How common is Fragoso?
Fragoso ranks #8,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,940 people with the surname Fragoso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,518), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Fragoso.
Has Fragoso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fragoso went from 4,267 recorded bearers to 3,940. That is a decrease of 327 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,778 to #8,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Fragoso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fragoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fragoso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (3,434 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fragoso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.2%), White (11.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Fragoso (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 Fragoso mean?
A toponymic surname indicating someone from a bushy or leafy place, derived from the Portuguese word "fragoso" meaning "bushy." 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 Fragoso (1.32 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 have the last name Fragoso?
See how many Americans have the surname Fragoso on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.