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

Herculano, 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 Herculano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herculano in America

Herculano is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herculano surname appeared 103 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 Herculano.

The history of the last name Herculano

The surname Herculano originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name Herculanus, which was a Roman cognomen meaning "of Hercules" or "belonging to Hercules." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a temple dedicated to the Roman god Hercules or who had a particular devotion to this deity.

During the Middle Ages, the name Herculano appeared in various Portuguese records and documents, including municipal archives and ecclesiastical registers. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in a 12th-century cartulary from the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, where a certain Herculano Peres is mentioned as a landowner in the region.

In the 13th century, the name Herculano appears in the "Livro das Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record compiled by Count Pedro Afonso. This document mentions several members of the Herculano family, who were part of the lesser nobility in the northern regions of Portugal.

One notable figure with the surname Herculano was Dom Herculano de Sousa, a 14th-century Benedictine monk and scholar who served as the abbot of the Monastery of Alcobaça. He was known for his writings on religious topics and his contributions to the intellectual life of the monastic community.

In the 15th century, the name Herculano was associated with the town of Valença, located in the northern region of Portugal near the border with Spain. The local archives mention several individuals with the surname Herculano who held positions of authority in the town's administration during this period.

Another prominent figure with the surname Herculano was Alexandre Herculano, a 19th-century Portuguese writer, historian, and journalist. Born in 1810 in Lisbon, he is considered one of the most influential figures in Portuguese Romanticism and is renowned for his historical novels, such as "Eurico, o Presbítero" (Eurico, the Presbyter) and "O Monge de Cister" (The Monk of Cister).

Throughout its history, the surname Herculano has been associated with various notable individuals in different fields, including literature, religion, and local administration. While the name originated from a Roman cognomen, it has become deeply rooted in Portuguese culture and tradition over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herculano

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

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 Herculano 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.

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

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

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