2000
#19,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Morgado
A surname derived from a word meaning "entailed estate" in Portuguese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,068 Americans carry the last name Morgado. That puts it at #15,602 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,742 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morgado 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 Morgado with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,742
Census rank
#15,602
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,803 bearers of the surname Morgado in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15602nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (41.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morgado
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (41.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Morgado 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 Morgado surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino52.9% · 953
- White41.2% · 743
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 53
- Two or more races2.4% · 43
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morgado
Morgado 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
#16,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,803
+533 bearers (+42.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
2020
#15,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,803
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,642 | 1,270 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,064 | 1,803 | 0.61 | +533 bearers (+42.0%) | Up 3,578 places |
| 2020 | #15,602 | 1,803 | 0.60 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 462 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 Morgado 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 | #16,064 | #15,602 | 2.9% |
| Count | 1,803 | 1,803 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.60 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morgado bearers went from 1,803 to 1,803 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 462 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,064 to #15,602.
FAQ
Morgado surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morgado?
Name Census estimates that about 2,068 living Americans carry the surname Morgado. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,742 residents.
How common is Morgado?
Morgado ranks #15,602 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,803 people with the surname Morgado. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,068), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Morgado.
Has Morgado become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morgado went from 1,803 recorded bearers to 1,803. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,064 to #15,602.
What does the Census say about the background of Morgado?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgado, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (41.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Morgado in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morgado appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (52.9%), White (41.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Morgado (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 Morgado mean?
A surname derived from a word meaning "entailed estate" in Portuguese. 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 Morgado (0.60 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 common is the surname Morgado?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Morgado, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.