2000
#2,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,341
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.32
Uncommon Last name
Oliveira
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating a person who came from or lived near an olive tree or olive grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,761 Americans carry the last name Oliveira. That puts it at #1,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,425 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oliveira 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 Oliveira with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,425
Census rank
#1,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,721 bearers of the surname Oliveira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliveira, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oliveira
The surname Oliveira originated in Portugal and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "oliveira," meaning "olive tree." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near an olive grove or worked with olives in some capacity.
In the 13th century, the surname Oliveira appeared in various historical records, such as the Inquirições de D. Afonso III, a survey of properties and landholdings conducted during the reign of King Afonso III of Portugal. This suggests that the name was already established by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Oliveira was João de Oliveira, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who lived in the 15th century. He was part of the expeditions to the West African coast and is believed to have contributed to the development of Portuguese nautical charts.
Another notable person with the surname Oliveira was Fernão de Oliveira, a 16th-century Portuguese grammarian and humanist. He wrote the first grammar book of the Portuguese language, "Gramática da Linguagem Portuguesa," published in 1536.
In the 17th century, João de Oliveira Chagas was a prominent Portuguese playwright and poet, known for his religious works and plays. He lived from 1631 to 1693.
Moving to the 18th century, José Agostinho de Oliveira Guedes was a Brazilian poet and playwright born in 1718. He is considered one of the pioneers of Brazilian theater and wrote several plays that portrayed colonial life in Brazil.
In the 19th century, José de Oliveira Júnior was a Brazilian painter and art professor. Born in 1839, he is known for his historical and religious paintings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Brazil.
The surname Oliveira has also been associated with various place names in Portugal, such as Oliveira de Azeméis, Oliveira do Bairro, and Oliveira do Hospital, among others. These place names may have influenced the adoption of the surname in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oliveira
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliveira, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Oliveira 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 Oliveira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 16,585
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 1,578
- Black or African American5.6% · 1,163
- Two or more races3.7% · 768
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 541
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oliveira
Oliveira 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
#1,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,055
+4,714 bearers (+32.9%)
Per 100,000 6.46
Rank movement Up 424 places
2020
#1,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,721
+1,666 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 6.93
Rank movement Up 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,311 | 14,341 | 5.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,887 | 19,055 | 6.46 | +4,714 bearers (+32.9%) | Up 424 places |
| 2020 | #1,694 | 20,721 | 6.93 | +1,666 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 193 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 Oliveira 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 | #1,887 | #1,694 | 10.2% |
| Count | 19,055 | 20,721 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.46 | 6.93 | 7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oliveira bearers went from 19,055 to 20,721 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,887 to #1,694.
FAQ
Oliveira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oliveira?
Name Census estimates that about 23,761 living Americans carry the surname Oliveira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,425 residents.
How common is Oliveira?
Oliveira ranks #1,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,721 people with the surname Oliveira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Oliveira.
Has Oliveira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oliveira went from 19,055 recorded bearers to 20,721. That is an increase of 1,666 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,887 to #1,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Oliveira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliveira, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (5.6%). 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 Oliveira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (16,585 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oliveira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Hispanic (7.6%), Black (5.6%). 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 Oliveira (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 Oliveira mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating a person who came from or lived near an olive tree or olive grove. 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 Oliveira (6.93 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 Oliveira?
Find out how many people have the last name Oliveira on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.