2000
#27,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Guimaraes
A surname derived from the place name Guimarães, in northern Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,031 Americans carry the last name Guimaraes. That puts it at #15,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guimaraes 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 Guimaraes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,761
Census rank
#15,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,771 bearers of the surname Guimaraes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guimaraes, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guimaraes
The surname Guimaraes has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese town of Guimarães, located in the northern region of the country. The town's name itself comes from the ancient Celtic Vimaranis or Vimara, which means "sacred place."
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Guimaraes can be found in the Inquirições de D. Afonso III, a 13th-century census conducted by King Afonso III of Portugal. This document mentions several individuals with the surname, suggesting its widespread use during this time.
In the 14th century, the Guimaraes surname appears in various records, including the Chancelaria Régia, a collection of royal decrees and documents. One notable figure from this period is João Guimaraes, a nobleman who served as the alcaide (governor) of the Castle of Guimarães in the late 1300s.
The 15th century saw the rise of the influential Guimaraes family, with members holding prominent positions in the Portuguese court. One such individual was Pedro Guimaraes, a trusted advisor to King João II, who lived from 1455 to 1495.
During the Age of Discovery, the Guimaraes surname gained further prominence as Portuguese explorers and navigators ventured across the globe. The famous explorer Fernão de Guimaraes, born in 1490, played a significant role in the colonization of Brazil, serving as the first captain-general of the captaincy of São Vicente.
Another notable figure was Rui Guimaraes, a 16th-century Portuguese chronicler and historian. His work, "História dos Portugueses nas Conquistas das Índias," provided valuable insights into the Portuguese exploration and conquest of the East Indies.
In the 18th century, the Guimaraes surname was associated with the Portuguese nobility, with several members holding titles and estates. One such individual was Baltasar Guimaraes, the 1st Count of Guimaraes, who lived from 1720 to 1795.
As the centuries passed, the Guimaraes surname spread beyond Portugal, carried by individuals who migrated to other parts of the world. Notable bearers of the name include the Brazilian poet Alphonsus de Guimaraens (1870-1921) and the Mexican writer Carlos Guimaraes (1899-1962).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guimaraes
Among Census respondents with the surname Guimaraes, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Guimaraes 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 Guimaraes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 1,460
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 139
- Black or African American4.3% · 76
- Two or more races2.8% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guimaraes
Guimaraes 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
#21,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,242
+410 bearers (+49.3%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 6,169 places
2020
#15,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,771
+529 bearers (+42.6%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 5,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,313 | 832 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,144 | 1,242 | 0.42 | +410 bearers (+49.3%) | Up 6,169 places |
| 2020 | #15,833 | 1,771 | 0.59 | +529 bearers (+42.6%) | Up 5,311 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 Guimaraes 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 | #21,144 | #15,833 | 25.1% |
| Count | 1,242 | 1,771 | 42.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.59 | 41.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guimaraes bearers went from 1,242 to 1,771 (+42.6% change). The surname moved up 5,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,144 to #15,833.
FAQ
Guimaraes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guimaraes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,031 living Americans carry the surname Guimaraes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,761 residents.
How common is Guimaraes?
Guimaraes ranks #15,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,771 people with the surname Guimaraes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Guimaraes.
Has Guimaraes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guimaraes went from 1,242 recorded bearers to 1,771. That is an increase of 529 (+42.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,144 to #15,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Guimaraes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guimaraes, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Guimaraes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (1,460 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guimaraes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Hispanic (7.8%), Black (4.3%). 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 Guimaraes (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 Guimaraes mean?
A surname derived from the place name Guimarães, in northern Portugal. 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 Guimaraes (0.59 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 share the surname Guimaraes?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.