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

Palmares, 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 Palmares surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Palmares in America

Palmares is the 79338th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Palmares surname appeared 240 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Palmares.

We can also compare 2010 data for Palmares 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 Palmares

The surname Palmares has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the word "palma," meaning "palm tree" in Portuguese, which may have been associated with a location or a family's occupation involving palm trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Palmares can be found in the archives of the Portuguese Inquisition, where a person named João de Palmares was mentioned in a document from the late 16th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during that period.

In the 17th century, the name Palmares gained historical significance due to its association with Palmares, a renowned quilombo (a settlement of escaped enslaved Africans) located in the northeastern region of Brazil. The leader of this community, Zumbi dos Palmares, became a symbol of resistance against slavery and is celebrated as a national hero in Brazil.

Another notable figure with the surname Palmares was Miguel de Palmares, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who lived in the late 15th century. He participated in several expeditions along the African coast and is credited with discovering the Cape Verde Islands in 1456.

During the colonial era, the name Palmares appeared in various records and documents related to Portuguese settlements and colonies, particularly in Brazil and Africa. For example, there was a village called Palmares in the former Portuguese colony of Angola.

In the 19th century, a prominent individual named José Maria Palmares (1821-1893) was a Brazilian politician and journalist who played a significant role in the abolitionist movement and the fight against slavery in Brazil.

Another notable figure with the surname Palmares was Maria Palmares (1904-1988), a Portuguese writer and poet who was known for her lyrical works celebrating the beauty of her homeland, the Algarve region.

While the surname Palmares has its roots in Portugal, it has also been adopted by families in other countries, particularly in former Portuguese colonies or regions with historical ties to Portugal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Palmares

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

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

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

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