2000
#5,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Macedo
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the name of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,151 Americans carry the last name Macedo. That puts it at #4,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macedo 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 Macedo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,455
Census rank
#4,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,980 bearers of the surname Macedo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macedo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.1%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macedo
The surname Macedo has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "macedo," which means a person from Macedonia or someone with Macedonian ancestry. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for individuals who had connections to the ancient Greek region of Macedonia.
In Portugal, the name Macedo can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appeared in historical records and documents. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Livro Velho de Linhagens (The Old Book of Lineages), a medieval Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century, which mentioned individuals with the surname Macedo.
The name Macedo was also associated with certain place names in Portugal, such as the town of Macedo de Cavaleiros in the northern region of Trás-os-Montes. This town's name, which literally means "Macedo of the Knights," likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in that area.
One notable historical figure with the surname Macedo was João Rodrigues de Macedo (1520-1633), a Portuguese composer and music theorist who lived during the Renaissance era. He is considered one of the most important Portuguese composers of the 16th century and is known for his sacred and secular works.
Another prominent individual was Pedro de Macedo (1679-1757), a Portuguese Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his work in metaphysics and his contributions to the debate on the nature of knowledge and perception.
In the 19th century, José Agostinho de Macedo (1761-1838) was a renowned Portuguese poet, satirist, and journalist. He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time and is known for his satirical works that criticized the political and social conditions of his era.
One cannot discuss the surname Macedo without mentioning António de Sousa de Macedo (1606-1682), a Portuguese diplomat and writer. He served as a diplomat for the Portuguese Crown and was involved in important negotiations, including the Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War.
Lastly, Joaquim José de Oliveira Macedo (1798-1867) was a notable Brazilian politician and writer. He played a significant role in the Brazilian independence movement and served as a minister in the early years of the Brazilian Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macedo
Among Census respondents with the surname Macedo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.1%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Macedo 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 Macedo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino70.1% · 5,590
- White26.1% · 2,080
- Black or African American1.9% · 150
- Two or more races1.1% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macedo
Macedo 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
#4,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,433
+2,636 bearers (+45.5%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Up 1,311 places
2020
#4,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,980
-453 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,512 | 5,797 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,201 | 8,433 | 2.86 | +2,636 bearers (+45.5%) | Up 1,311 places |
| 2020 | #4,303 | 7,980 | 2.67 | -453 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 102 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 Macedo 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 | #4,201 | #4,303 | -2.4% |
| Count | 8,433 | 7,980 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.86 | 2.67 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macedo bearers went from 8,433 to 7,980 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,201 to #4,303.
FAQ
Macedo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macedo?
Name Census estimates that about 9,151 living Americans carry the surname Macedo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,455 residents.
How common is Macedo?
Macedo ranks #4,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,980 people with the surname Macedo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,151), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Macedo.
Has Macedo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macedo went from 8,433 recorded bearers to 7,980. That is a decrease of 453 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,201 to #4,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Macedo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macedo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 70.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.1%) and Black (1.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Macedo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (5,590 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macedo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (70.1%), White (26.1%), Black (1.9%). 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 Macedo (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 Macedo mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the name of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. 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 Macedo (2.67 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 have the last name Macedo?
You can see how many people have the last name Macedo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.