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

Neto, 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 Neto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neto in America

Neto is the 17216th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neto surname appeared 1,645 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 Neto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neto 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 Neto

The surname "NETO" has its origins in Portugal and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "netus," meaning "grandson" or "descendant." This surname was initially used as a descriptive term to identify individuals as the grandson or descendant of someone with a more prominent name.

During the Middle Ages, the use of surnames became more widespread in Portugal as a means of distinguishing individuals from others with the same given name. The surname Neto was commonly adopted by those who were grandsons or descendants of notable families or individuals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Neto can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese manuscript that chronicles the genealogies of noble families. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Neto, indicating its use among the Portuguese nobility during that time.

In the 15th century, the surname Neto appeared in various historical records, such as land deeds and legal documents. For instance, João Neto, a prominent landowner from the Algarve region, is mentioned in several documents dating back to 1472.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Neto. One such figure was André Neto (1520-1594), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who was part of the expeditions to the East Indies and Brazil in the 16th century.

Another prominent individual was Joaquim Neto (1670-1739), a Brazilian architect and engineer who designed several important buildings and structures in the city of Salvador during the colonial period.

In the 19th century, the surname Neto was associated with the Portuguese liberal movement and the struggle for independence from Spain. José Neto (1798-1868), a renowned lawyer and politician, played a significant role in the liberal revolution of 1820 and the establishment of the Constitutional Monarchy in Portugal.

Other notable individuals with the surname Neto include Agostinho Neto (1922-1979), the first president of independent Angola, and Sebastião Neto (1937-2021), a Brazilian writer and playwright renowned for his contributions to the literary and cultural scene of Brazil.

Throughout its history, the surname Neto has been associated with various place names and locations in Portugal, such as the town of Netos in the district of Portalegre, and the village of Neto in the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neto

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

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

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

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