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

Mascarenas, 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 Mascarenas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mascarenas in America

Mascarenas is the 12156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mascarenas surname appeared 2,563 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 Mascarenas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mascarenas 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 Mascarenas

The surname Mascarenas originated in Portugal during the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese word "mascara," meaning mask or disguise. The name may have been given to someone who worked as a mask maker or wore a mask for a particular occupation or event.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mascarenas can be found in the chronicles of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's voyages to India in the late 15th century. A sailor named Pedro Mascarenas is mentioned as part of da Gama's crew on his historic voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497.

In the 16th century, the Mascarenas surname appeared in various Portuguese colonial records, particularly in regions such as Brazil and the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, which were named after the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas.

Notable individuals with the surname Mascarenas include:

1. Pedro Mascarenhas (1484-1555), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who played a crucial role in the Portuguese exploration of the Indian Ocean and the establishment of trade routes to the East Indies.

2. Braz Mascarenhas (1508-1578), a Portuguese soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Portuguese India from 1570 to 1572.

3. Jerónimo Mascarenhas (1611-1681), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who evangelized in Japan and was martyred during the persecution of Christians in the country.

4. Manuel Mascarenhas (1633-1703), a Portuguese military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Portuguese Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) from 1689 to 1692.

5. José Mascarenhas Barreto (1763-1833), a Portuguese naval officer and explorer who led expeditions to the interior of Brazil and contributed to the mapping of the Amazon River basin.

The Mascarenas surname has persisted throughout the centuries and can still be found in various parts of the world, particularly in Portugal, Brazil, and other regions with historical Portuguese influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mascarenas

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

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

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

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