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

Lourenço, 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 Lourenço surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lourenço in America

Lourenço is the 16593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lourenço surname appeared 1,728 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lourenço.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lourenço 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 Lourenço

The surname Lourenco originated in Portugal and is a Portuguese form of the Latin name Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum". Laurentum was an ancient city located in the region of Lazio, Italy, near Rome. The name Laurentius was derived from the Latin word "laurus", meaning bay laurel tree.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Lourenco dates back to the 12th century in Portugal. It was often used as a patronymic surname, indicating the given name of the father or an ancestor. The surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Minho, Douro, and Beiras.

In the 13th century, a document from the Mosteiro de Alcobaça, a Cistercian monastery in Portugal, mentions a person named Lourenço Peres. This is one of the earliest known written records of the surname.

In the 14th century, the name Lourenço Mendes is recorded in the Livro Velho de Linhagens, a medieval Portuguese book of lineages. This suggests that the surname was established among the Portuguese nobility during this period.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname Lourenco was Lourenço de Almeida, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator. He was born in 1480 and is known for his expeditions along the west coast of Africa and India.

Another notable figure was Lourenço de Góis, a 16th-century Portuguese humanist scholar and writer. He was born in 1505 and authored works on Portuguese history and culture.

In the 17th century, Lourenço Pires de Carvalho was a renowned Portuguese composer and organist. He was born in 1620 and contributed to the development of sacred and secular music in Portugal.

The surname Lourenco also has historical connections to the Azores Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal. One of the most prominent figures from the Azores was Lourenço Vaz Cabral, a 16th-century navigator and explorer. He was born in 1490 and is credited with the discovery of several islands in the Azores archipelago.

In the 18th century, Lourenço José Ribeiro was a Brazilian architect and urban planner. Born in 1735, he is renowned for his contributions to the architecture and urban design of Rio de Janeiro, including the development of the Passeio Público, one of the city's first public parks.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Lourenco throughout history, showcasing its rich heritage and cultural significance in Portugal and its former colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lourenço

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

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

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

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