2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Sobral
A place name surname originating from a location called Sobral in Portugal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 252 Americans carry the last name Sobral. That puts it at #90,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,360,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sobral 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
252
1 in 1,360,136
Census rank
#90,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
220
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 220 bearers of the surname Sobral in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobral, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.0%) and Black (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sobral
The surname Sobral has its roots in Portugal, originating as a toponymic name derived from the town of Sobral in the district of Setúbal. The name is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Sobral can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document records several individuals bearing the Sobral surname, suggesting its widespread use among Portuguese nobility and gentry at the time.
The name Sobral is thought to have originated from the Latin word "supra," meaning "above" or "on top of," possibly referring to the elevated location of the town of Sobral. Alternatively, it may have derived from the Latin word "suber," meaning "cork oak tree," as the region was known for its cork production.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Exploration, several individuals with the surname Sobral played significant roles in Portugal's maritime expeditions and colonial endeavors. One notable figure was João Rodrigues Sobral, a navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
Another prominent bearer of the Sobral surname was João de Almeida Sobral (1556-1621), a Portuguese military commander and governor of Portuguese India. He played a crucial role in the defense of Portuguese territories against Dutch and English forces in the early 17th century.
In the realm of arts and literature, Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco Sobral (1905-1982) was a renowned Portuguese poet and essayist. His works explored themes of nostalgia, melancholy, and the beauty of the Portuguese landscape.
Moving to the Americas, José Antônio Sobral (1838-1911) was a prominent Brazilian lawyer, politician, and abolitionist. He played a significant role in the movement to abolish slavery in Brazil and served as a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies.
In more recent times, Ernesto Soares da Costa Sobral (1902-1990) was a distinguished Portuguese architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design of several notable buildings in Lisbon and other cities, including the Rossio Railway Station and the Jerónimos Monastery.
While the Sobral surname has its origins in Portugal, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to former Portuguese colonies and countries with significant Portuguese immigration. However, the earliest and most prominent historical references to the name can be traced back to its Portuguese roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sobral
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobral, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.0%) and Black (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sobral 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 Sobral surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino15.0% · 33
- Black or African American5.0% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sobral
Sobral 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
#96,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
+25 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,374 places
2020
#90,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
+32 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 6,615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #96,799 | 188 | 0.06 | +25 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 5,374 places |
| 2020 | #90,184 | 220 | 0.07 | +32 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 6,615 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 Sobral 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 | #96,799 | #90,184 | 6.8% |
| Count | 188 | 220 | 17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sobral bearers went from 188 to 220 (+17.0% change). The surname moved up 6,615 positions in the national ranking, going from #96,799 to #90,184.
FAQ
Sobral surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sobral?
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the surname Sobral. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,360,136 residents.
How common is Sobral?
Sobral ranks #90,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 220 people with the surname Sobral. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sobral.
Has Sobral become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sobral went from 188 recorded bearers to 220. That is an increase of 32 (+17.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #96,799 to #90,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Sobral?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobral, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.0%) and Black (5.0%). 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 Sobral in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sobral appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Hispanic (15.0%), Black (5.0%). 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 Sobral (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 Sobral mean?
A place name surname originating from a location called Sobral in 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 Sobral (0.07 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 Sobral?
See how many people have the surname Sobral on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.