2000
#2,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,081
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.11
Uncommon Last name
Nunes
A Portuguese toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a hillock, knoll, or elevated land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,932 Americans carry the last name Nunes. That puts it at #2,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nunes 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 Nunes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,602
Census rank
#2,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,149 bearers of the surname Nunes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nunes, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Black (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nunes
The surname Nunes has its origins in Portugal, where it emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name "Nunus" or "Nonnus," which was a common personal name in ancient Rome. This name is believed to have been derived from the Latin word "nonus," meaning "ninth."
The Nunes surname first appeared in historical records in the 12th century, particularly in the region of Alentejo in southern Portugal. During this time, the use of surnames became more widespread among the nobility and upper classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nunes surname is found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century. It mentions several individuals with the surname Nunes, indicating their prominence in medieval Portuguese society.
The name Nunes is also associated with the town of Nunão in the district of Viseu, Portugal. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname Nunes due to their connection with this locality.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Nunes surname. One of the earliest was Pedro Nunes (1492-1577), a renowned Portuguese mathematician, cosmographer, and navigator. He made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and cartography during the Age of Exploration.
Another prominent figure was Fernão Nunes (1610-1675), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and architect who designed several churches and buildings in Brazil during the colonial period.
In the realm of literature, Vasco Fernandes Nunes (1565-1625) was a Portuguese poet and author who wrote works on religion and philosophy.
Maria de Lourdes Modesto Nunes (1908-1991) was a prominent Portuguese painter and sculptor known for her avant-garde artistic style.
More recently, Álvaro Nunes Cabral (1923-2012) was a celebrated Portuguese lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and as a member of the European Parliament.
While these are just a few examples, the Nunes surname has a long and rich history, with individuals from various walks of life contributing to the cultural, intellectual, and political landscapes of Portugal and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nunes
Among Census respondents with the surname Nunes, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Black (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nunes 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 Nunes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.6% · 8,210
- Hispanic or Latino19.4% · 2,356
- Black or African American6.4% · 775
- Two or more races3.7% · 444
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 312
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nunes
Nunes 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
#2,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,191
+1,110 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#2,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,149
-42 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Up 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,993 | 11,081 | 4.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,942 | 12,191 | 4.13 | +1,110 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #2,889 | 12,149 | 4.06 | -42 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 53 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 Nunes 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 | #2,942 | #2,889 | 1.8% |
| Count | 12,191 | 12,149 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.13 | 4.06 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nunes bearers went from 12,191 to 12,149 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,942 to #2,889.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nunes
FAQ
Nunes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nunes?
Name Census estimates that about 13,932 living Americans carry the surname Nunes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,602 residents.
How common is Nunes?
Nunes ranks #2,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,149 people with the surname Nunes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Nunes.
Has Nunes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nunes went from 12,191 recorded bearers to 12,149. That is a decrease of 42 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,942 to #2,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Nunes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nunes, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Black (6.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nunes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (8,210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nunes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.6%), Hispanic (19.4%), Black (6.4%). 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 Nunes (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 Nunes mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a hillock, knoll, or elevated land. 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 Nunes (4.06 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 many people have the last name Nunes?
See how many people have the last name Nunes on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.