2000
#13,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Rebello
A Portuguese surname referring to someone who was a rebel or revolutionary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,047 Americans carry the last name Rebello. That puts it at #15,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rebello 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 Rebello with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 167,442
Census rank
#15,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,785 bearers of the surname Rebello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rebello, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rebello
The surname Rebello originated from Portugal, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Portuguese word "rebelo," which means "rebel" or "defiant." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who exhibited a rebellious or non-conformist nature.
The name Rebello is believed to have first emerged in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga. Historical records indicate that the Rebello family played a significant role in the Portuguese Reconquista, the medieval period when Christian forces gradually regained control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
One of the earliest documented references to the Rebello name can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a medieval Portuguese manuscript from the 13th century that recorded the genealogies of noble families. This text mentions several individuals with the surname Rebello, indicating their prominence and influence during that era.
In the 16th century, during the Age of Exploration, several members of the Rebello family participated in Portuguese maritime expeditions and colonial endeavors. One notable figure was João Rebello, a navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1497-1499.
As the Portuguese Empire expanded, the Rebello name spread to various colonies and territories around the world. For instance, in the 17th century, Francisco Rebello was a prominent figure in the Portuguese colonization of Brazil, serving as the governor of the captaincy of Rio de Janeiro from 1661 to 1665.
Another significant individual bearing the Rebello surname was Inácio Rebello de Andrade (1671-1737), a Portuguese nobleman and military officer who played a crucial role in the defense of Portugal during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 19th century, the Rebello family produced several notable figures in the arts and literature. One such individual was Manuel Rebello da Silva (1798-1872), a prominent Portuguese playwright and poet who made significant contributions to the development of Portuguese Romantic theater.
Overall, the surname Rebello has a rich historical lineage that spans several centuries and encompasses various regions and contexts within the Portuguese-speaking world. Its origins can be traced back to medieval times, and the name has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from exploration and colonization to the arts and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rebello
Among Census respondents with the surname Rebello, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rebello 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 Rebello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 1,402
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.3% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 81
- Two or more races4.0% · 72
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rebello
Rebello 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
#13,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
+283 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 501 places
2020
#15,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
-505 bearers (-22.1%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 2,421 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,823 | 2,007 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,322 | 2,290 | 0.78 | +283 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 501 places |
| 2020 | #15,743 | 1,785 | 0.60 | -505 bearers (-22.1%) | Down 2,421 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 Rebello 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 | #13,322 | #15,743 | -18.2% |
| Count | 2,290 | 1,785 | -22.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.60 | -23.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rebello bearers went from 2,290 to 1,785 (-22.1% change). The surname moved down 2,421 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,322 to #15,743.
FAQ
Rebello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rebello?
Name Census estimates that about 2,047 living Americans carry the surname Rebello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,442 residents.
How common is Rebello?
Rebello ranks #15,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,785 people with the surname Rebello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Rebello.
Has Rebello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rebello went from 2,290 recorded bearers to 1,785. That is a decrease of 505 (-22.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,322 to #15,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Rebello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rebello, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rebello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (1,402 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rebello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.3%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Rebello (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 Rebello mean?
A Portuguese surname referring to someone who was a rebel or revolutionary. 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 Rebello (0.60 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 Rebello?
See how many Americans have the surname Rebello on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.