2000
#6,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,523
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Telles
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the given name Telo, of Germanic origin, meaning "tender" or "delicate."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,513 Americans carry the last name Telles. That puts it at #6,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Telles 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
5.5K
1 in 62,172
Census rank
#6,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,808 bearers of the surname Telles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Telles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Telles
The surname Telles is of Portuguese origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "tellus," meaning "earth" or "land," indicating that the name was likely given to someone who worked the land or owned a significant amount of land.
Telles is a common surname in Portugal, particularly in the northern regions, where it is believed to have originated. The name can also be found in other Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Brazil and Angola, due to the Portuguese colonial influence in these regions.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Telles can be found in the Inquirições de D. Afonso III, a collection of inquiries carried out by King Afonso III of Portugal in the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Telles, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.
In the 14th century, the Telles family played a prominent role in Portuguese history. João Afonso Telles de Menezes, born in 1337, was a powerful nobleman and military leader who served as the Count of Barcelos and later as the Count of Ourém. He was also the father of Nuno Álvares Pereira, one of Portugal's most celebrated national heroes, who led the country's resistance against the Castilian invasion during the 1383-1385 Crisis.
Another notable figure with the surname Telles was Baltasar Telles, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore and map parts of the coast of Brazil.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname Telles was also associated with several notable figures in the Portuguese colonies. For example, Afonso Telles de Menezes, born in 1530, was a Portuguese colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Portuguese India from 1585 to 1588.
In more recent times, the surname Telles has been carried by several individuals who have achieved success in various fields. Lygia Fagundes Telles, born in 1923, is a renowned Brazilian writer and novelist, known for her works that explore themes of social inequality and the complexities of human relationships.
Another notable figure is Viriato Telles, born in 1919, a former Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs, including Fluminense and the Brazilian national team.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Telles
Among Census respondents with the surname Telles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Telles 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 Telles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.5% · 3,725
- White18.0% · 864
- Two or more races1.6% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Telles
Telles 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
#6,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,230
+707 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 357 places
2020
#6,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,808
-422 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,850 | 4,523 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,493 | 5,230 | 1.77 | +707 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 357 places |
| 2020 | #6,743 | 4,808 | 1.61 | -422 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 250 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 Telles 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 | #6,493 | #6,743 | -3.9% |
| Count | 5,230 | 4,808 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.61 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Telles bearers went from 5,230 to 4,808 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,493 to #6,743.
FAQ
Telles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Telles?
Name Census estimates that about 5,513 living Americans carry the surname Telles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,172 residents.
How common is Telles?
Telles ranks #6,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,808 people with the surname Telles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,513), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Telles.
Has Telles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Telles went from 5,230 recorded bearers to 4,808. That is a decrease of 422 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,493 to #6,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Telles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Telles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Telles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (3,725 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Telles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.5%), White (18.0%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Telles (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 Telles mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the given name Telo, of Germanic origin, meaning "tender" or "delicate." 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 Telles (1.61 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 common is the surname Telles?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Telles on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.