2000
#6,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,254
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Furtado
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a thief or burglar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,157 Americans carry the last name Furtado. That puts it at #6,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furtado 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 Furtado with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,669
Census rank
#6,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,369 bearers of the surname Furtado in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furtado, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Furtado
The surname Furtado originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "furtare," meaning "to steal," and the Portuguese suffix "-ado," which indicates a profession or quality. The name likely referred to someone who was a thief or whose ancestor was a thief.
Furtado is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the 13th century in Portugal. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in a legal document from the town of Guimarães, dated 1258, which mentions a person named Pedro Furtado.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the "Livro das Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a compilation of Portuguese noble families. This suggests that the Furtado surname was already well-established among the Portuguese nobility at that time.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese explorers and settlers with the surname Furtado played a significant role in the colonization of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. One notable figure was João Furtado de Mendonça (c. 1480-1537), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who commanded several expeditions to Brazil and the Indian Ocean.
In the 17th century, the Furtado name gained prominence in Brazil, where several members of the family held important political and military positions. One example is Francisco Barreto Furtado (1616-1691), a Portuguese colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of Brazil from 1671 to 1675.
Another famous bearer of the Furtado surname was Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado (1701-1769), a Portuguese statesman and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for the Navy and Overseas Territories under King José I. He played a crucial role in the reform and reorganization of the Portuguese colonial administration.
Throughout history, the Furtado surname has been associated with various place names and localities in Portugal, such as Furtado (a parish in the municipality of Chaves), Furtadouro (a village in the municipality of Mirandela), and Furtadinha (a village in the municipality of Ourique).
Other notable individuals with the surname Furtado include João Pinto Furtado (1760-1830), a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of Portuguese India, and Luís Furtado de Castro do Rio de Mendonça (1664-1733), a Portuguese nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furtado
Among Census respondents with the surname Furtado, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Furtado 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 Furtado surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 4,192
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 371
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 334
- Two or more races4.3% · 233
- Black or African American4.1% · 220
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Furtado
Furtado 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
#6,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,464
+210 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 223 places
2020
#6,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,369
-95 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Up 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,027 | 5,254 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,250 | 5,464 | 1.85 | +210 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 223 places |
| 2020 | #6,118 | 5,369 | 1.80 | -95 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 132 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 Furtado 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 | #6,250 | #6,118 | 2.1% |
| Count | 5,464 | 5,369 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.80 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Furtado bearers went from 5,464 to 5,369 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,250 to #6,118.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Furtado
FAQ
Furtado surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Furtado?
Name Census estimates that about 6,157 living Americans carry the surname Furtado. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,669 residents.
How common is Furtado?
Furtado ranks #6,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,369 people with the surname Furtado. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Furtado.
Has Furtado become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Furtado went from 5,464 recorded bearers to 5,369. That is a decrease of 95 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,250 to #6,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Furtado?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furtado, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%). 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 Furtado in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (4,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Furtado appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Hispanic (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%). 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 Furtado (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 Furtado mean?
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a thief or burglar. 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 Furtado (1.80 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 Furtado?
You can see how many people are called Furtado on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.