2000
#6,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Nuno
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the medieval personal name Nuno, of uncertain origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,263 Americans carry the last name Nuno. That puts it at #5,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nuno 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.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 47,192
Census rank
#5,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,334 bearers of the surname Nuno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nuno
The surname NUNO originated in Portugal, and it is derived from the medieval Portuguese given name "Nuno," which is thought to be a shortened form of the Latin name "Numenius" or "Nonnius." The name's roots can be traced back to the 9th century, and it was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of Portugal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname NUNO can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a manuscript dating back to the 13th century, which documents the genealogy of Portuguese noble families. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname NUNO.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the "Livro das Lezírias," an important administrative record from the reign of King Afonso IV of Portugal. This document lists a certain Nuno Fernandes NUNO as a landowner in the region of Santarém.
During the 15th century, the NUNO surname gained prominence with the rise of the influential Portuguese explorer and navigator, Nuno Tristão. Born around 1440, Nuno Tristão NUNO played a crucial role in the early Portuguese explorations along the West African coast. He is credited with the discovery of several islands, including the Cape Verde Islands in 1462.
Another notable figure with the NUNO surname was Nuno Álvares Pereira, a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who lived from 1360 to 1431. Nuno Álvares Pereira NUNO played a pivotal role in the 1383–1385 Crisis, a period of civil war in Portugal, and was instrumental in securing the throne for King John I.
In the 16th century, the NUNO surname appears in the historical records of the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. One such example is Nuno Velho Pereira, a Portuguese explorer and colonist who established the first permanent settlement in the captaincy of Pernambuco, in northeastern Brazil, around 1535.
Throughout the centuries, the NUNO surname has also been associated with various place names in Portugal, such as Nuno-Gómez and Nuno-Marques, reflecting the influence and landholdings of families bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nuno
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nuno 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 Nuno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.1% · 5,960
- White4.5% · 285
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
- Two or more races0.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nuno
Nuno 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
#5,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,506
+1,628 bearers (+33.4%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Up 1,080 places
2020
#5,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,334
-172 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,428 | 4,878 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,348 | 6,506 | 2.21 | +1,628 bearers (+33.4%) | Up 1,080 places |
| 2020 | #5,309 | 6,334 | 2.12 | -172 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 39 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 Nuno 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 | #5,348 | #5,309 | 0.7% |
| Count | 6,506 | 6,334 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.21 | 2.12 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nuno bearers went from 6,506 to 6,334 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,348 to #5,309.
FAQ
Nuno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nuno?
Name Census estimates that about 7,263 living Americans carry the surname Nuno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,192 residents.
How common is Nuno?
Nuno ranks #5,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,334 people with the surname Nuno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,263), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nuno.
Has Nuno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nuno went from 6,506 recorded bearers to 6,334. That is a decrease of 172 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,348 to #5,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Nuno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Nuno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (5,960 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nuno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.1%), White (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Nuno (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 Nuno mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the medieval personal name Nuno, of uncertain origin and meaning. 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 Nuno (2.12 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 share the surname Nuno?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.