2000
#94,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Joao
A Portuguese surname derived from the given name João, meaning "God is gracious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 375 Americans carry the last name Joao. That puts it at #65,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 914,012 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joao 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 Joao with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
375
1 in 914,012
Census rank
#65,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
327
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 327 bearers of the surname Joao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joao, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joao
The surname JOAO originated in Portugal, deriving from the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. Its roots can be traced back to the late 12th century, when it first appeared as a surname among the noble families of the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the JOAO surname can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens, a Portuguese genealogical record compiled in the 13th century. This document mentions several members of the JOAO family, indicating their prominence among the landed gentry of the time.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the JOAO name was closely associated with the various regions of Portugal, particularly the northern provinces. It was also found in some areas of Galicia, a neighboring region of Spain with close cultural ties to Portugal.
The name's popularity grew during the Age of Discovery, when many Portuguese explorers and navigators bearing the JOAO surname embarked on voyages of exploration and colonization. This included João Gonçalves Zarco, born in 1390, who is credited with the discovery of the Madeira Islands in 1419.
In the 16th century, the JOAO name gained further prominence with the reign of King João III of Portugal, who ruled from 1521 to 1557. His patronage of the arts and sciences attracted many scholars and artists, some of whom bore the JOAO surname.
Another notable figure in Portuguese history was João de Barros, born in 1496, who served as a prominent historian and author. His work, Décadas da Ásia, chronicled the Portuguese expansion in Asia and remains a valuable historical source.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the JOAO surname spread throughout the Portuguese colonial empire, with many JOAO families settling in Brazil, Africa, and Asia. One such figure was João Fernandes Vieira, born in 1613, who played a pivotal role in the insurrection against Dutch rule in Brazil.
In the 19th century, the JOAO name continued to be associated with notable figures in Portuguese literature and politics. This included João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, born in 1799, a celebrated poet and playwright who helped revive the interest in Portuguese literary traditions.
Throughout its long history, the JOAO surname has been a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Portugal, reflecting the nation's exploration, conquest, and intellectual achievements across centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joao
Among Census respondents with the surname Joao, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Joao 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 Joao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.6% · 146
- Black or African American22.6% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.4% · 47
- Two or more races10.4% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joao
Joao 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
#73,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
+84 bearers (+46.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 20,763 places
2020
#65,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 327
+63 bearers (+23.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 7,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,227 | 180 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,464 | 264 | 0.09 | +84 bearers (+46.7%) | Up 20,763 places |
| 2020 | #65,511 | 327 | 0.11 | +63 bearers (+23.9%) | Up 7,953 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 Joao 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 | #73,464 | #65,511 | 10.8% |
| Count | 264 | 327 | 23.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joao bearers went from 264 to 327 (+23.9% change). The surname moved up 7,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,464 to #65,511.
FAQ
Joao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joao?
Name Census estimates that about 375 living Americans carry the surname Joao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 914,012 residents.
How common is Joao?
Joao ranks #65,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 327 people with the surname Joao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Joao.
Has Joao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joao went from 264 recorded bearers to 327. That is an increase of 63 (+23.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,464 to #65,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Joao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joao, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.4%). 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 Joao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.6%), Black (22.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.4%). 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 Joao (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 Joao mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the given name João, meaning "God is gracious". 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 Joao (0.11 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 are called Joao?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Joao at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.