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

Natal, 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 Natal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Natal in America

Natal is the 10095th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Natal surname appeared 3,190 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 Natal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Natal 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 Natal

The surname NATAL originated in Portugal. It is derived from the Latin word 'natalis', which means 'relating to birth' or 'natal'. The surname likely originated in the 12th or 13th century.

NATAL is thought to have originated in the northern region of Portugal, specifically in the areas around Porto and Braga. It may have been used as a descriptive surname for someone born on Christmas Day or during the Christmas season, as 'natalis' also referred to the birth of Christ.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname NATAL can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Gonçalo Natal, who lived in the region of Entre-Douro-e-Minho.

In the 14th century, the surname NATAL appeared in various historical records from the Portuguese kingdom, including land deeds and municipal records. One notable example is João Natal, a merchant from Porto who is mentioned in a trade document from 1387.

During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, several Portuguese explorers and navigators with the surname NATAL participated in voyages to Africa, Asia, and the Americas. One example is Pedro Natal, a sailor who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.

In the 17th century, the surname NATAL was found in various parts of the Portuguese empire, including Brazil. One notable figure from this era was Father Manuel Natal (1612-1696), a Jesuit missionary who worked in the Amazon region and wrote extensively about the indigenous peoples of Brazil.

Another notable individual with the surname NATAL was José Natal Machado (1767-1846), a Portuguese military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Madeira and played a role in the Liberal Revolution of 1820.

In more recent times, the surname NATAL has spread to other parts of the world, particularly to countries with significant Portuguese immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Natal

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

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

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

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