2000
#15,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,767
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Portugal
A locational surname indicating an individual's origin or association with the country of Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,564 Americans carry the last name Portugal. That puts it at #13,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Portugal 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
2.6K
1 in 133,680
Census rank
#13,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,236 bearers of the surname Portugal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Portugal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (27.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Portugal
The surname Portugal is a locational name that originated in the country of Portugal, situated on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is derived from the Latin word "Portus Cale," which referred to the Roman settlement that eventually became the modern city of Porto. The name likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who hailed from this region during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Livro de Linhagens, a 14th-century Portuguese genealogical record, which mentions individuals with the name Portugal. Additionally, the Chancery Rolls of England from the 13th and 14th centuries contain references to people with variations of the surname, such as Portyngale and Portingall.
The name Portugal has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Afonso de Albuquerque (1453-1515), a Portuguese explorer and military commander who played a significant role in establishing Portuguese colonial rule in the Indian Ocean. Another prominent figure was Francisco de Portugal (1460-1549), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who served as the 4th Count of Vimioso.
In the artistic realm, Domingos Antonio de Sequeira (1768-1837) was a celebrated Portuguese painter and educator who was considered a leading figure in the Neoclassical movement in his country. João de Almeida Portugal (1700-1769) was a renowned 18th-century Portuguese architect and sculptor, known for his contributions to the Baroque and Rococo styles.
The name Portugal has also been associated with religious figures, such as Frei Thomé de Jesus (1529-1582), a Portuguese Roman Catholic missionary and writer who played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in Asia during the 16th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Portugal has been closely tied to its geographical origins and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, nobility, artists, and religious figures, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Portuguese people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Portugal
Among Census respondents with the surname Portugal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (27.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Portugal 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 Portugal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.4% · 1,395
- White27.3% · 610
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.1% · 203
- Two or more races0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Portugal
Portugal 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
#13,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,263
+496 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 1,813 places
2020
#13,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
-27 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,269 | 1,767 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,456 | 2,263 | 0.77 | +496 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 1,813 places |
| 2020 | #13,123 | 2,236 | 0.75 | -27 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 333 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 Portugal 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 | #13,456 | #13,123 | 2.5% |
| Count | 2,263 | 2,236 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.75 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Portugal bearers went from 2,263 to 2,236 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 333 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,456 to #13,123.
FAQ
Portugal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Portugal?
Name Census estimates that about 2,564 living Americans carry the surname Portugal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,680 residents.
How common is Portugal?
Portugal ranks #13,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,236 people with the surname Portugal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Portugal.
Has Portugal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Portugal went from 2,263 recorded bearers to 2,236. That is a decrease of 27 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,456 to #13,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Portugal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Portugal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (27.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%). 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 Portugal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.4% (1,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Portugal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.4%), White (27.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%). 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 Portugal (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 Portugal mean?
A locational surname indicating an individual's origin or association with the country of Portugal. 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 Portugal (0.75 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 Americans have the surname Portugal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.