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

Morgado, 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 Morgado surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morgado in America

Morgado is the 16064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morgado surname appeared 1,803 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 Morgado.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morgado 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 Morgado

The surname Morgado has its origins in Portugal, where it first emerged in the medieval period. The name is derived from the Portuguese word "morgado," which refers to an inherited estate or property that is passed down from one generation to the next within a family.

The Morgado name is closely tied to the Portuguese system of primogeniture, where the eldest son inherited the family's primary estate or property. This practice was common among the nobility and upper classes in Portugal during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Morgado surname can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a genealogical record compiled in the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Morgado, suggesting that the name was already well-established by that time.

In the 15th century, during the Age of Discoveries, several Portuguese explorers and navigators bore the Morgado surname. One notable example is João Fernandes Morgado, a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1498.

Another significant figure in Portuguese history with the Morgado surname is Luís Mendes de Vasconcelos Morgado (1595-1665), a prominent lawyer and jurist who served as a member of the Council of Portugal during the reign of King John IV.

During the colonial era, the Morgado surname spread to Portuguese territories overseas, including Brazil and parts of Africa. One notable Brazilian with this surname was José Joaquim de Almeida Morgado (1789-1849), a politician and jurist who played a crucial role in the independence of Brazil from Portugal.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Morgado surname was José Rodrigues Morgado (1806-1867), a Portuguese military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Cape Verde between 1855 and 1858.

Throughout its history, the Morgado surname has been associated with landed gentry, nobility, and influential families in Portugal and its former colonies. While the practice of primogeniture has declined over time, the name Morgado continues to be a proud part of Portuguese cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morgado

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

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

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

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