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

Gonçalo, 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 Gonçalo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gonçalo in America

Gonçalo is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gonçalo surname appeared 194 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 Gonçalo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gonçalo 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 Gonçalo

The surname GONCALO has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese personal name "Gonçalo," which is a variant of the Germanic name "Gundesalvus." This name is composed of the elements "gund" (battle) and "salv" (whole or safe), suggesting a meaning along the lines of "battle safe" or "safe in battle."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname GONCALO can be found in medieval Portuguese documents and records. One notable example is Gonçalo Mendes, a 13th-century Portuguese nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the reconquest of the Algarve region from the Moors.

In the 15th century, the GONCALO surname gained prominence with Gonçalo Velho Cabral, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who led several voyages to India and the East Indies. He is credited with discovering the island of Santa Helena (St. Helena) in the South Atlantic Ocean in 1505.

Another notable figure with the GONCALO surname is Gonçalo Anes Bandarra, a 16th-century Portuguese poet and shoemaker known for his prophetic writings and influence on the Sebastianist movement. His work, "Trovas" (Prophecies), gained widespread popularity and was widely interpreted as foretelling the return of King Sebastian I, who had gone missing in battle.

In the 18th century, Gonçalo José da Silveira Preto was a Portuguese nobleman and politician who served as the Governor of Pará and Rio Negro in Brazil from 1758 to 1763. He played a crucial role in the development and administration of the Portuguese colonies in South America.

The GONCALO surname has also been associated with various places and place names throughout Portugal. For example, the town of Gonçalo in the Guarda District is believed to have derived its name from the personal name Gonçalo. Additionally, the village of Gonçalo Vaz in the Santarém District may have ties to an individual with the surname GONCALO.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gonçalo

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

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

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

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