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

Medeiros, 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 Medeiros surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Medeiros in America

Medeiros is the 1889th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Medeiros surname appeared 19,031 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Medeiros.

We can also compare 2010 data for Medeiros 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 Medeiros

The surname Medeiros has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "medeiros," which means "strawberry plant" or "strawberry field." This surname likely originated in areas where strawberries were cultivated or grew abundantly.

The earliest known recorded instances of the surname Medeiros can be found in medieval Portuguese documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a certain João Medeiros in a land registry from the year 1467 in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

During the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers and settlers ventured to various parts of the world, the surname Medeiros spread to other countries and regions, particularly those with Portuguese colonial influence. This includes Brazil, where many Portuguese immigrants settled, and other former Portuguese territories.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Medeiros was Pedro Medeiros, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1497-1499. Another notable figure was Tomé Medeiros, a 16th-century Portuguese soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Brazil.

In the 17th century, António Medeiros was a prominent Portuguese architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of São Roque in Lisbon. Another individual of note was Manuel Medeiros, a Portuguese clergyman who served as the Bishop of Angra from 1697 to 1704.

During the 18th century, José Medeiros was a celebrated Portuguese painter known for his religious and mythological works, including his masterpiece, "The Adoration of the Magi," completed in 1770.

As the surname spread across different regions and countries, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. In Brazil, for instance, the name is sometimes spelled "Madeiros" or "Madeyros," while in parts of Africa influenced by Portuguese colonization, it may be rendered as "Madeiro" or "Madeira."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Medeiros

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

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

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

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